Sixkiller; Justice from a Psycho
by Phoenix-sol
Summary: Aww, finished so soon? This is the LAST chapter guys –don’t look at me like that! The story has to end. It isn’t that mean an ending, you would have thought I could come up with a meaner one, but I’m not that wicked…
1. End of Phase one

To all of you who read part one '**Sixkiller; Tale of the Silver Dime**' and part two '**Sixkiller; SXK flips Time**'; this is part three and it answers a whole load of questions that haven't been answered in the first parts.

To all those who just started reading; you can ignore what happened in the first parts if you want. Part three is a bit different than the first parts.

Oh yeah, if you're crazy over fics that have Andalites in them (becuase I am) then continue reading, if you're not crazy about the Andalites but crazy about watching people beat each other to death then continue reading. If you don't like any of the above then its not my fault. *kidding, the fic has much more than just that* 

**PART THREE**

**Sixkiller; Justice from a Psycho**

_Chapter Thirty-one_

It was a too easy catch; Sixkiller would have blundered in without a so much as a second thought. But experience taught her better. She knew that she'd rather overestimate her enemy than underestimate him; better be safe than sorry.

She approached the house confidently; she knew that she was being watched. Her every move would be visible to her victim, and it was very likely that her victim would be extremely paranoid; a casualty of war left stranded in a planet that was not his own, a planet that would soon teem with the enemy's troops.

Sixkiller was dressed as a businesswoman; she carried a black brief case in one hand and the other was left free to swing with the rhythm of her walk. Sixkiller's disguise was flawless; she wore high heels and a navy blue business suit with a short skirt. She didn't have a hat on though –since her culture did not include hats in their traditional clothing- besides, Sixkiller adored having her long hair carried loosely; it had always been her pride; her hair, it was long silky and just as dark as her eyes.

She stopped just outside the front door. She set down her brief case and did a very good job of pretending to tidy her hair and make sure that there were no creases on her skirt and freshen her make up- plus all the other pointless things she saw other girls do. Sixkiller has always been reluctant to do any of these things because part of her character did not permit her to do things for the pleasure of others. 

It was partly this and the other part was simple; she already had someone who thought very much of her.

She rang the doorbell and pretended to be anxious; she patted her skirt and ran a hand through her hair.

The door opened a crack. A familiar face peeked through, the face she was stalking day and night for the past week. A human face. A hologram.

He looked dead average. She knew he did, although the face she was looking at appeared annoyed. She painted a smile on her face and spoke loudly, "Mr. McCellan. I'm Jean –from the institution. Your boss called me over to go through the new regulations put forward by the SCI department, I need you to go over a few details."

Henry looked even more annoyed, "Go away."

She frowned at him, "You must know that I'm going to come back. My supervisor will fire me if I slack this one. Fred doesn't really tolerate sloppy work. You're the only one on my list that's left."

"You've come at an unfortunate time.'

Sixkiller shook her head, "You're not making this easy for me are you?" she sighed, "It wouldn't take a minute. All I do is read out what's on the contract and you either agree or you don't."

"Later."

"I must insist." Sixkiller shoved the door open and entered.

Henry 'vanished'.

"Hey!" She made a show of gasped and looking confused, "Where did he go?"

Sixkiller pretended to be frightened and bit her lip she said, "Uhh, maybe my timing was unfortunate."

With that she shot out of the house.

Dropped a very small rock just inside the door –it held it open.

The computer that controlled the door closed it shut and did not seem to notice that it wasn't sealed tight.

Sixkiller took refuge in a dumpster and hid her outer clothing in the brief case she had brought along.

And then…she morphed.

And what happened was impossibility pilled on impossibility; the morphing was logical. And not just that but as she shrunk she simultaneously transformed into a bee.

The process took less than fifteen seconds.

As a bee, Sixkiller was able to see in higher spectrums of light, her vision included a deep violet and an intense yellow. She managed to find the front door without encountering any dangers. Once she was inside the house, she traced and pinpointed the highest concentration of the strange aroma she was receiving.

She by-passed a wall by squeezing through a gap at the very bottom far left of the room. Once inside she figured a way out and into the secret room.

Her new victim was too busy monitoring the surveillance monitors, she demorphed out of sight and as a human; she struck.

Her victim had no idea what was going to come next, if only he knew that he was about to be added to the collection of prisoners Sixkiller had, he would have struggled fiercely.

After securing her victim and calling a friend, Sixkiller smiled distantly. Part of her was pleased that phase one was over, and phase two contained all the action. Phase two was the moment she had spent years planning for.

The other part of her was secretly pleased that her darkest intentions was about to come reality.

About.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Ohhhh, her darkest intentions, doesn't sound good does it? If any of you are disappointed I didn't add details of her overpowering Mertil then sue me. Actually, I didn't have time to do it. Plus all the better stuff comes later, this part of the story will have Sixkiller in narration, I didn't have much of that in parts one or two so its all here.

If any of you have questions ask while reviewing, I'll probably provide the answers at the end of the next chapter that I post.

Something to look forward to, the next chapter reveals who the little one is; turns out Sixkiller was mocking when she referred 'him/her/it' to little one.


	2. What Phase Two needs

In the early hours of the morning Jake and Sixkiller hold a meeting, ever wondered why SXK captured the Andalite prisoners? Well, this chapter and the next one will definitely answer that question. I'm saying this because I knew that the first chapter wasn't up to standard, but what can I say? I'm not exactly free, but, hopefully, you'll find the next chapters more entertaining. 

_Chapter Thirty-two_

The air was damp in the early hours of the morning, the sky was in shades of gray; the sun had a few minutes worth of rest left and then it has to wake this part of the world up.

Totally against the conventional people, where the convectional people would be asleep by now; Jake and Sixkiller stood facing each other, Sixkiller looked inappropriately calm against Jake's flushed face.

"The blue box and we gave it to you, what else could you possibly want?!" Jake shouted, "I thought that we had an agreement here."

"I did too." Sixkiller admitted, "And I carried it out; you gave me the blue box and I promised you that I would stop harming Elfangor and reveal to you who had been spying on your little group. I had not harmed Elfangor ever since you handed me the blue box and I executed the treasonous creature that was working against your interests."

Jake rubbed his nose, "I _didn't_ ask you to kill Victor."

"I said I would reveal to you who was ratting out on you," Sixkiller snapped, loosing patience, "you did not specify how you wanted me to expose him. So I did it my way."

"I'm not liking this one bit." Jake said calmly, "What is it you want?"

"I assume that you are willing to help?"

"You may assume nothing," Jake spit out.

Sixkiller's eyelids fluttered and she dipped her head, "Then hear me out fairly, what I propose to you is not an easy task and the only reason I have come back here is because my goal cannot be reached by working alone, I need a team. Fast. And I need that team to successfully infiltrate and capture Visser Three's Blade ship."

Jake raised an eyebrow and spoke incredulously. "You _what_?"

Sixkiller sighed, "Do not attempt to dramatize this, you heard me correctly first time round, I have a plan at the ready and-"

Sixkiller stopped talking. She glared at Jake, it seemed that his concentration was split between pretending to listen to her and listening to something else.

Sixkiller could only guess that one of his hidden comrades was speaking his mind.

Jake said, "Why do you want the Blade ship?"

"I will not answer that question."

"You must understand," Jake said, his calm voice was edged with tension, "I cannot confirm an alliance without understand the mission and its goals."

Sixkiller thought about that, in what way would she profit if she lost this soon-to-be comprise? She knew that Jake would be willing to help if the final goal was aimed to harm the Yeerks.

"I will give you the details of the mission after you confirm the alliance," Sixkiller said, "As for my goals you must understand that I cannot talk free about them, all I can tell you is that my main goal is to harm the Yeerks."

"You could be planning to incinerate Earth." Jake said suspiciously, "That _would_ hurt the Yeerks, but as you know, that would hurt us too."

"And me too." Sixkiller replied evenly.

"From what I heard about you I'll never be sure of that."

Sixkiller shook her head, "I must make this clear to you; my greatest foe is the Yeerk Empire. My loyalty is to Earth."

"And the people of Earth?"

"My loyalties are with the people of Earth." Sixkiller smiled slyly. A chipmunk dashed down a tree and a pair of birds squabbled over a fallen item. 

"You're saying it but I don't believe it."

"So be it," Sixkiller said, "are you planning to help me or not?"

"And if I say no?"

Sixkiller touched Jake's arm attentively, she looked at him with her dark eyes and spoke with her husky voice, "what if you say yes?"

Jake took a step back. In a steely voice he repeated his question. "And _what_ if I say no?"

"Then I leave." Sixkiller gave Jake her back. She regarded the rising sun with solemn eyes.

"And?"

"And from then on it is not your business what I do," Sixkiller gave him one of her cold smiles, "It would be my business entirely; how I lure the Visser and his ship down to Earth is my responsibility."

Jake felt a shiver run down his spine, he didn't want to try and guess how she would get the Visser to come closer to Earth. But what he knew –without guessing- was that it would include harming his team.

"So it's the lesser of two evils, huh?" Jake asked finally.

A wicked smile played across Sixkiller's lips, her eyes danced gleefully. She leaned forward, "you read me fine Jake, leader of the Animorphs."

"Only when I have to." Jake replied feeling repulsed.

"Good then." Sixkiller said briskly, "Tomorrow night, same place. Same time. Oh, and take care."

Jake said, "you just worry about yourself."

Sixkiller turned around, her eyebrows jumped, "I don't worry."

"So you say,"

"You are saying this because…?"

"Because on that ship there will be seven of mine and, well, you do the math, its one of you."

Sixkiller smiled, "You have absolutely no idea who you're dealing with."

Jake shook his head, "then I'll find out on this mission, wouldn't I?"

Eyeing the horizon, Sixkiller nodded grimly, she looked back at Jake, "Perhaps you will."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

She wants _what?_ The blade ship? Where do I get all this stuff? You people sit here wondering how I'm going to get that to happen and I'll round around in circles panicking. Lol. I figured it out actually, but this is getting somewhere right? 


	3. What SXK has

I said I'll provide answers to feedback and here it is; 

~morpherkidvb; 

I checked over that and at first I thought it was a slip, but no, up until now the Andalite prisoner's' are Elfangor and Mertil –in chapter one Sixkiller captures Mertil. 

~Alikat 

Take no note of that, I'm sure I meant run around in circles, I did see it as round around but somehow my brain trnslated that to _run_ around. And I'm sure you'll see that popping around (that word again) in my story all over the place, my fingers don't always type what my brain intends them to. *sigh*. I must be getting dizzy. And sleepy, someone bring the coffee. 

Okay, now read the chapter I almost sleeped on. 

_Chapter Thirty-three_

Sixkiller watched her surroundings flash by her, most of these surroundings were drenched in darkness, Zohare's place was miles away from the coordinates she gave Jake. It had to be far away from the forest and civilization. His place was in the middle of nowhere. And to reach that place she had to take a train first, which was fine, she found comfort in a creation that was so old. 

_"You just worry about yourself." _

Sixkiller glanced at Zohare, he was asleep in the far end of the small cabin, on the floor curled up bellow him was Zein, a five year old German Shepard, Sixkiller had no idea why Zohare loved the bitch, she herself never liked dogs. She was more of a cat person.

Looking at him now was easy, he was no threat, never was and never will be, he wasn't her servant or anything like that, he was the only friend she had.

And since when did she have friends? How long have they lasted? 

_ "I don't worry." _

But she did, didn't she? It wasn't an intense worry, it was a distant far away concern over what may happen. She usually had all the angles covered, but she had a funny feeling reserved for this particular mission. Maybe it was because she couldn't believe that it was finally happening, her master plan; a childhood dream; justifying between what was right and wrong. Who deserved to be called good and who was evil.

_ "So you say." _

That Jake, did he mean what he said? Was it all talk? Did he truly sense her worry or was he trying to yank her chain? He was so sure, so confident of himself, yet there was something in his eyes too, there was weary worry, not for himself though, for his team? Would Jake sacrifice himself for the well being of his team? Did he fear the sacrifice?

And was he doing what she was doing? Going over all the possibilities, the initiatives and the personal motives? Trying to answer problems that may arise?

_ "You're saying this because…?" _

She could remember how she stood, watching him with a cool head, not even considering the possibility that his warning may be real, that his answer would be laced with something sinister.

_"Because on that ship there will be seven of mine and, well, you do the math, its one of you."_

Three, Sixkiller said, three of me, but was three enough? If it wasn't she had another trick up her sleeve. 

_One of me is ten of him__,_ she thought angrily, _he couldn't possible have more experience than me, he is nothing but a child toying with war, barely holding on, and on the other hand there is me; I grew up in war. I understand it._

What bothered her was his genuine confidence; he wasn't jumping the gun, he was walking at a steady pace; careful to look where he leapt. He listened to her carefully. He took his friends opinions. He was a true leader. 

Sixkiller knew next to nothing about that type of leadership. Well she was thinking relative to other people's experience; whenever the time called for her to become a leader she did the job without failing, but her type of leadership had always been a autocratic one. She had always preferred to work alone and for that to happen while being leader she must only listen to what she wanted. Indeed, not only did Sixkiller work alone but she also lived alone. She did everything alone. Her life had always been a solitary one. 

She glanced at Zohare. He would never count. His presence did not breach her solitary ways. He was either a part of her or a certain distance away. Zohare understood this perfectly. 

Did he pity her? Perhaps there was no person as alien as Zohare to Sixkiller's ways. Everything she did was against his ways. Did he like her for it? 

Sixkiller pushed away her troubled thoughts and stood up. She exited the cabin and walked farther back in the train, she reached the storage carriage and paid the guard to give her some privacy. 

Sixkiller locked the door then turned to the four crates. She knew what they held. She leaned down to the first one and wrenched the top open. An Andalite body lay in there. The crate was more of a coffin than a cage, no way would have Elfangor been able to so much as move if he was awake. For that reason Sixkiller had asked Zohare to sedate her prisoners one by one. She did not need them awake for hours to come. 

She opened the other crates and proceeded in camouflaging the interior so that they appeared to carry ammunitions and an array of weapons and tools. Crate number two contained her new catch, Mertil. The third; a much smaller crate; contained a young Andalite. A young child really, she was perhaps less than a third the size of her adult uncles. 

The little one has a significant role to carry out. Sixkiller knew that her mission would depend on the reaction of others when seeing little Cheian. 

What would the Andalite officers do when they see that amongst Sixkiller's hostages was a young female child? Would they sacrifice her? Or attempt to save her? 

Elfangor she was sure that they would have bluffed and said that they could sacrifice him. As for Mertil, she knew that he was no loss to the military. But that was why she needed him. She needed an Andalite that could be sacrificed easily. 

The fourth crate was her hardest catch, the crate was just a bit larger than Cheian's crate and in it contained the War council's nephew Asham. 

She knew that the war council would not sacrifice Asham above all hostages simply because the head of War council would not allow it, exactly what would he have to say to his family? 

Sixkiller finished securing the crates and called the guard in, she walked the way back to her cabin and reclined peacefully, head against the window where the rising sun lifted the scenery outside. 

Sixkiller did take in the possibility that the Andalite war council would ignore her completely and bury the situation. She had planned for that too. 

She knew that they defiantly wouldn't ignore her if they found out that not only did she have in her possession four –a would be five- Andalite hostages; but a blue box, a Visser's blade ship and yes, the Time Matrix as well. 

And what about the advanced technology? What about Visser Three and his host? And what about the morph capable humans? 

Sixkiller grinned savagely to herself. She was defiantly looking forward to seeing the looks on the arrogant officers' faces when she tells them exactly what she has and…what she wants. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I'm tired of writing, I'm leaving the comments up to you. 


	4. The Blade Ship

Feedback to your feedback;

~morpherkidvb;

Okay, good questions, Sixkiller _has_ four hostages; Mertil, Elfangor, Cheian and Asham after she takes in the Blade Ship she'll have five which would include Ax, this number may still increase to six if she successfully traps the Visser, as we all know, his host body is an Andalite; Alloran.

As for the questions about Sixkiller all I could do is shrug, I can't reveal details about her childhood yet because that's for later, but all I can tell you is that the place she lived in, war was always on the horizon and she'd seen it happen (that's why she's so bitter and adopted a solitary way of leading her life- she found out that human civilization is prone to self destruction and she'd be better off without it). As for who she is; she's known as Sixkiller or Sedra (I've said that before) more about who she is will be revealed in upcoming chapters –and you'll like this because none of you will be able to foresee this. *Evil laughter*. I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve. I'll surprise you.

As for the term uncles that was very loosely, Mertil and Elfnagor are not Cheian's uncles but I needed a word where I could show you the difference between size, Cheian is actually just a kid, say, like a six/five year old human and Asham an eight/nine year old human. Relatively speaking.

~ Lyda B. 

I know, I've been laying off the cliff hangers (wow, someone out there is really fond of them) suspense will come in *shrugs* some time soon. 

Great that leaves room for new confusion, since the old confusion is over *grins wildly* 

_Chapter Thirty-four_

"Who is he?" Jake questioned, glancing at Zohare, then at Zein.

Sixkiller's explanation was far from complete, "they are coming with me." She turned around and handed Jake a disk, "your main concern is your team. I have not brought you along to question my decisions."

Rachel's throat uttered a few threatening sounds, Jake gave her a warning glance and shook his head.

Jake handed Ax the disk, "These are the codes?"

Sixkiller's eyes flickered briefly towards him, then she turned back to the back pack she held, "yes."

How did you get them? Ax demanded.

"My friend here is a resourceful person." Sixkiller favored Zohare with a benevolent smile. "There is little he could not grab hold of."

Zohare returned the smile and then bent down to scratch Zein's ears, at this gesture Sixkiller's smile faded. She turned back to her pack and stuffed something up the long sleeved shirt she as wearing.

Marco keeping an eye on Sixkiller said, "Let me get this clear, because I don't know, something is not quite right about this, uh, plan. We're supposed to what? Just walk into the Blade ship? Like this? In our human forms?"

Jake looked troubled.

Despite herself Rachel grinned, "Got a problem with that? Little Marco?"

"Who me?" Marco asked, "No. I just thought…"

"That what? This is insane?" Cassie suggested.

Marco snapped his fingers, "You took the words right out of my mouth."

Sixkiller moved away from the group, she briefly glanced at the hawk that stood perched near Rachel then walked out of earshot of all the humans.

Their ways of blowing the steam off before the mission started were getting on her nerves, she hated the easy talk that came before the mission, Sixkiller –very used to working alone- had done this part in silence.

They were in one of the most dangerous places on Earth, they were in the Yeerk Pool complex. The underground Yeerk city.

Sixkiller did not find her presence between the enemy unnerving. She understood her enemy perfectly, she knew how they would react and she would react appropriately.

Standing beside Zein and Zohare, Sixkiller leaned against the warehouse's wall and gazed at Jake group. Jake was standing at the center of his group trying to hide a worried face, the black girl –Cassie- would often come near him, talk to him and then stand silently by his side. The boy Marco was alternating between leaning against a few cargo boxes and standing straight to talk to the group. Rachel, the blond girl seemed to have enough of his blabbering and took three steps away, gave him her back and she sat cross-legged on the ground, the hawk fluttered down to join her.

Rachel noticed Sixkiller's staring and flicked at her hair, looked back at Sixkiller then turned to the hawk –Tobias- and engaged in small talk.

Sixkiller turned to Zohare and she found that he was looking at her face intently. "What?"

Zohare smiled, "I can see it. You're excited, but you do one good job of hiding it."

Sixkiller didn't smile back, instead she turned to face him, "It isn't the sort of excitement you reckon it is."

"Really?"

"If you've ever hunted you'll understand that it isn't excitement that comes before the kill, its something else."

Quite absorbed in what Sixkiller was saying Zohare asked her to elaborate on the point she was making.

"Before you close in to the kill you're stalking." Sixkiller paused, "Stalking is the second dangerous part of the hunt, Zohare. Especially here, on Earth, no predator is the all-powerful top-of-the-food-chain monster, we... the creatures of Earth are all interlinked, from the small insignificant creatures that seem to play no noteworthy role to the majestic hunters that terrorize their prey. Any honorable beast at the top of the chain my fall victim to some sort of group of creatures, for instance, you've seen a lion-"

"Yes, strong, fearless and truly magnificent creatures," Zohare looked wistfully at the distance.

"But they do not live without a distinct fear of what could possibly over rule their dominance, these lions may be over powered by other stronger and younger males, or may fall victim to starvation if a large group of hyenas continually steal their prey from them."

"Hyenas can do that?" Zohare looked surprised.

Sixkiller nodded and added, "Lions can easily die from chasing their very prey."

"I have seen what lions eat; its prey could not harm it."

"You are wrong, a well aimed kick form a Zebra could break bones, a lion with a shattered paw is soon helpless as he would find it harder and harder to hunt. And the longer it takes for him to find a kill the weaker he becomes.'

"Is that what you're worried about?" Zohare wondered, he glanced at the Animorphs.

Sixkilller sighed, "I intend to keep all angles covered, I'm not underestimating anybody."

"So you're the one lion and they're the hyenas?" Zohare asked, "do you fear that they have sufficient power to overrule you?"

Sixkiller shook her head slowly, "no, they don't have that power, not yet anyway, but this group…they learn fast, they would not make the same mistake twice."

"We have all bases covered." Zohare shrugged, "if anything does go wrong we'll deal with it."

Sixkiller said nothing to that.

"So what kind of excitement is it?" Zohare pushed, "you didn't answer your question."

Sixkiller said, "It's mixture of things, there is the anticipation of a victory, that equals that of a loss. The closer you come to your prey the higher the percentage of victory is. Once you have eluded yourself into thinking you've got an eighty percent chance of winning you block out all variables and cut to the chase."

"All variables?"

"The unconsidered screw ups; slipping while running, you over shoot, your timing is incorrect." Sixkiller hesitated, "but what I fear most is the two most dangerous variables."

"These would be?"

"The chance of being beaten to death by your prey, if your prey is larger than you" –in her mind Sixkiller found herself comparing a huge buffalo to the blade ship- "or an unsuspected attack coming from a different angle" –Sixkiller's imagination led her to associate this with the animorphs, what is they were the hidden tiger that stalked silently behind?

Zoahre was silent for a few beats, "your experience with the wilderness taught you all this?"

"It taught me to take every stupid detail into consideration." Sixkiller's voice was suddenly bitter, she glanced resentfully at the animorphs, for them it was easy, they didn't have to be unbelievably insightful to figure everything out, they relied on each other.

Maybe working in a group was far better than working alone.

"How long till the Blade Ship lands for servicing?" Sixkiller asked suddenly, noticing that Jake's group had become increasingly restless thanking that a strong enough distraction was available to yank her away from her dark thoughts.

"Forty-five minutes," Zohare said, starting to recheck his weapons "it's time to move-out and take our positions."

Sixkiller motioned for the other group to follow her lead.

Jake came forward, "I don't think its necessary for us to reveal our true identities."

"What do you suggest then?" Sixkiller replied irritably, "we attack as a parading circus?"

Jake shook his head, he started to say something but Sixkiller interrupted him, as she talked she looked at his group as well, "we all know that the war is escalating, what with the Visser building up his troops day by day, he is planning to break his cover and attack in open-war fashion, do you think your identities will matter by then? You all know that one day your cover will be broken, why wait for it to happen for you?"

The group looked at their leader, Sixkiller could read their emotions clearly.

Sixkiller looked at Jake, "Do not wait for the Yeerks to corner you and force you to blow your cover," Sixkiller laid a hand on Jake's shoulder, "display some confidence and power, show them you are not afraid of them, you are humans, you have been fighting the Yeerks successfully, why not show yourself instead of hiding?"

"I prefer hiding," Marco muttered. "As opposed to what the Yeerks would do to us if they found out we were just puny human kids with one alien kid and a bird-boy."

"Maybe you're not aware of this but we have families," Cassie pointed out, "we don't intend to place them in harms way,"

"If none of you are planning to change the situation we'll all be in harm's way," Sixkiller found herself snapping.

"Wait so you're saying this is it?" Jake sighed, he looked at the ground as if trying to decide on what to do next.

Sixkiller leaned close to Jake, she spoke in a sharp voice, "how long do you think it will work Jake? Playing it on the defense line? It's time we attacked, its has to be now because any later would be too late."

Marco and Rachel looked at each other doubtfully.

Cassie said, "you said you would give us details if we agreed all the way to the end. We're here now."

Marco nodded.

"What do you intend to do with the blade ship?" Jake asked finally.

"I intend to overpower the pool ship." Sixkiller said, her eyes glinted fiercely, "And fry all Yeerk apparatus on Earth."

It is impossible to overpower the pool ship with just a blade ship. Ax said, he came close to the group, up until then he was standing at a distance, as if the very act of being close to the creature that imprisoned his brother disgusted him.

Sixkiller turned her gaze towards him, "my Andalite friend here does not know what I know about Yeerk technology."

And what do you know about Yeerk technology that my race wouldn't know? the Andalite laughed loudly at Sixkiller, Yeerk technology is only Andalite technology worsened and modified by Yeerks.

"You don't know how Yeerk minds work." A chilling smile played across her lips as she spoke, "I do."

The comment left an uncomfortable mark on the animorphs faces, what did Sixkiller's remark mean?

"Lets say it's possible," Jake said, trying to push down the hope that was starting to make his heart swell with distant happiness, "what do you then intend to do with it?"

Sixkiller shrugged, "its human property then. We could do whatever it is we want."

"What about the Andalites?" Marco asked.

"What about them?" Sixkiller sounded annoyed.

"What if they showed up?" Marco replied, "out of the blue and asked us to hand over the blade ship, would you do that?"

"Never!" Her eyes flashed, but then she clamed down on her emotions sharply, she allowed the guarded expression to return to her face. "It's our catch, why should we hand it over to the 'all-mighty' Andalites?"-Sixkiller jeered at that-"Besides, if we do get it, think of what we'd give to humanity."

A new way of extinguishing themselves. Tobias muttered.

Sixkiller turned to Tobias, "do you think it will stop there? If the Yeerks are out of Earth what guarantees could you give to humanity saying that no other enemy is going to make itself known?"

If Tobias's eyes were human they would have looked troubled, but they weren't o he glared instead.

"She's right," Rachel sighed, breaking her silence, she didn't want to aid the monster but this was something she wanted to see herself, "we have to protect Earth from other potential enemies." She looked evenly at Ax, "even the Andalites, there's no telling what they're up to."

Ax didn't respond to her comment.

"Marco? Cassie? Tobias?" Jake asked. "Ax?"

Marco shrugged but said, "she's right man, playing defenses isn't going to get us anywhere with this situations," he grinned, "besides, I want to sell the technology to, uh, humans, but at a price."

Jake raised his eyebrows.

Cassie nodded and spoke softly to herself, "the price of peace."

"No!" Marco said exclaimed, "ninety three billion American dollars!"

Everyone stared at him.

"Peace man," Marco muttered, taken back a bit. "I'll settle with peace."

I'm in too then. Tobias said.

"Ax?"

I'll follow you were ever you go Prince Jake. Ax said hesitantly, even though I feel that there is something not quite right about all this.

"Ax, you can call me 'Prince' but only after we get the Blade Ship." Jake joked.

"Yeah, ha-ha," Marco replied dryly to Jake's joke, "Ax, will never get to call you Prince again. Ever."

"Where's your brother?" Sixkiller asked sharply, the sudden question caused Jake to jerk.

"What?"

"Tom, you told me that there will be seven of you, I don't see Tom."

"Change of plans," Jake answered smoothly, "Tom has to stay incase we need backup help."

Smooth as it was, the animorphs identified with the lie between themselves, they all knew where Tom was.

Of course, Sixkiller did not know that, but if the animorphs knew exactly what Sixkiller intended to do with the Blade ship they would have reconsidered the alliance.

With both sides lying to each other, the allied group set off to capture their oversized prey; the Blade Ship, parked in a huge hanger not far from the warehouse. The ship's dark metal surface and it's Hork-bajir like shape sat like a big fat omen forecasting disaster to an unsuspecting universe. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Maybe I forgot to say this, but my story sort of revolves around Sixkiller, it's already really long and most of my concentration is just on Sixkiller, so, I'm saying this now, the Yeerk situation is getting really worse, it would be about in the same level as book 49-52 minus the original Anirmph interference –obviously because time is twisted in my story.


	5. Securing the bridge

~Momo Claus

Actually I did, but you have to keep in mind that Sixkiller was lying to the Animorphs, she's not going to fry Yeerk apparatus any quicker than the Pool Ship, she has other plans. The Animorphs don't know that. The Animorphs _think_ that she's going to take the Yeerks out, so they have to take in consideration what they're going to do after they fry the Yeerks. I mean come on, they're getting a space ship, you won't finish off a mission and just park it in your background and hope no one is going to steal it…

Second thing, back ground info is coming, so don't worry about that.

_Chapter Thirty-five_

"In one…two…three- GO! GOGOGOGO!"

Zohare, Ax and Marco were the first to leap into the bridge. Zohare held two machine guns –one in each hand- and opened fire on the unsuspecting crew.

BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!

BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!

Marco was in human form–holding a dracon beam in one hand and standing near the exit to block anyone from getting out of the bridge.

Ax's main concern was the Visser, who was standing shocked stupid in the center of the bridge. But that didn't last for long, ANDALITES! GAURDS!

When there was no immediate response the Visser grabbed a dracon beam that had popped out of a dark box very near to where he stood.

Zohare caught the movement and sent a wave of gunfire in the direction of the Visser. The Visser leapt back and stumbled over a dead body. The dracon beam fell to the ground with metallic clatter.

"NO BODYONE MOVES!" Zohare bellowed.

"Not unless you want to be fried." Marco agreed loudly.

Zohare –who had by now shot most of the crew dead- walked briskly towards the Visser, "Now, if you know what's good for you, you wouldn't morph, you wouldn't move, you wouldn't even _breath_."

TSEEEW!

Marco stunned a human crewmember that attempted to escape out of the bridge.

Zohare cocked his head towards the Visser, beckoning Ax to watch over him. Ax complied but only because Jake's orders were specific; follow what Zohare does.

Zohare walked up one of the many computer interfaces and constructed a force field cell that restrict the Visser from moving as far as five paces in any direction.

"Okay, Andalite," Zohare said, finally moving away from the interface, "you got the disk, load the codes in. Marco, watch over the bridge. I've got business to take care of."

"Where you going?"

Zohare stopped, his hand thumped his pants, "The, uh, cargo hold, gotta check to see if anyone's hiding in there."

Marco nodded and stayed guard.

Zohare walked out of the bridge and jogged down the corridor, there were no crewmembers hanging around since team C already finished them off. Well Zohare could see crewmembers but none of them were functioning normally.

Zohare took the familiar route to the cargo hold and after checking that no other life forms were present beyond the four that have been placed here previously, he sealed the cargo hold, Zein who had been waiting inside accompanied him back to the bridge.

Before going back in Zohare brought a knife out and lashed at his clothes, he ripped off half of his shirt and inflicted shallow cuts across his torso. He hid one of the machine guns. Time was running out, it was now or never.

He jumped back into the bridge, giving Zein the order to wait outside. Marco turned when he saw Zohare stumbling in, Ax had finished typing the codes and he too drew near.

"What happened?" Marco demanded.

"Too many!" Zoahre gasped, "the rest need help- down by the drop shafts- I-"

Marco was close enough, but Zohare wasn't waiting for Marco to come close, he needed to knock Ax out first, once the Andalite's guard was up there was no easy way to restrain him.

Marco was just one human kid. Zohare could take care of that easily. But the Andalite…

WHAM!

Quick as he could Zohare slammed the butt of his machine gun to Ax's head. The Andalite dropped like a sack of stones.

"Wha…?"

Wham!

Marco out too.

Now all Zohare had to do was wait. Wait and hope that Sixkiller did her part just as successfully.

Zohare constructed another two cells that kept Marco and the Andalite form escaping, he was very particular about placing each under a separate cell.

Who are you?

Zohare's eyes flickered towards the Visser, he walked right up to the force field cell he had constructed and examined the Visser.

Who are you? The Visser looked like he was seconds away from blowing steam through his ears and nostrils, he was practically vibrating with rage.

Zohare looked at the Visser and laughed dryly "I'm your future, Yeerk."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Very lousy of me, a really short chapter, I know how you guys are feeling but I can't fit anymore into that, I'm working on a massive twist in my story, I know what it is, half of it is on paper the other half is encrypted in my brain.

Gotta go find the secret codes. Or a translator, believe me, the wait now is worth it, just let me do the other parts perfectly. The background info will be something no one thought about and uh, there are more surprises.


	6. Sixkiller's Bladeship

This is my feedback squared section- feedback for your feedback;

~morpherkidvb

Zohare does knows that the Animoprhs are morph capable, and Zohare is just politically correct, he's been around a lot of aliens and after that you tend to refer to your own species by their name instead of 'we' the people of Earth –in this huge universe not a lot of aliens know who the people of Earth are. But humans? They're famous.

~MeShelly

Actually she needed them as humans because it's easier to over power them, plus there was this pep talk about showing confidence in personally blowing their cover and attack as humans.

Who said Andalites are any better than us?

_Chapter Thirty-six_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 1:30**

Zohare worked furiously on the bridge, he had a lot of work to do before he could so much as stop to sneeze, and since an hour and a half had elapsed after boarding he only had time to finished fifteen percent of the work he had to cover.

Zohare had long tinted the force fields to block visual contact between him and the prisoners; he did not need any distractions. They could morph all they want, they could not get out of the force field cell, and after Zohare finished his work, no one would be able to morph.

Up until now, Zohare had no contact with Sixkiller, he did not know if she had succeeded or not. He was starting to have some serious doubts when just as he thought of abandoning his work to find her, Sixkiller barged breathless into the bridge.

"Have you…?"

"We're good to roll." Sixkiller interrupted, "how's the system upgrade going with you?"

Zohare glanced down, "Twenty percent."

"Slow," Sixkiller said, she paced towards the prisoners, turned. "You need how many hours before we're up to ninety?"

"At least five." Zohare didn't look up from his work. "The prisoners are a distraction."

Sixkiller wondered over to the controls. She glanced at the half dozen flashing buttons and the screens that reeled out data.

"How did you do it?" Zohare asked.

"I thought you were busy." Sixkiller cocked and reloaded her pistol, she played with the safety hatch.

Zohare would have sighed but knowing Sixkiller he didn't. She would tell him what happened anyway.

"It wasn't easy," Sixkiller said snidely, sneering at the controls, "they almost killed me."

"Almost?"

"Try battling an onslaught of wild beasts." Sixkiller shook her head, "They almost finished me off, and that's take team C and B separately."

"What morph were you in?"

"Are you kidding?" Sixkiller snapped, "I had a dracon beam in one hand, I need them alive, not dead, that worked for a while but I lost my weapon."

Zohare's eyes were stuck to the interface, his fingers flashed over the controls, "what then?"

"I morphed, one of my new morphs, after that it was easier."

"You attacked a tiger and a bear with 'one of your morphs'?" Zohare asked skeptically, "Which one was that?"

"The one that leaves dents in metal and wrecks the interiors of ships," Sixkiller shook her head in amusement, "never underestimate the powers of a reptile."

"You went crocodile?"

Sixkiller laughed, "No, a crocodile wouldn't have done that sort of damage and taken out those beasts without killing itself. No, I morphed a relative of the crocodile, actually, one of its ancestors."

Zohare frowned, "But how did you acquire dinosaur morphs…" his face brightened slightly, he looked at her, "Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Sixkiller shook her head, "what do you think that visit to the museum was all about? Since when do I waste three days marveling over the remains of animals that have lived millions of years before me?"

"You don't miss a trick do you?" Zohare asked.

"I'm afraid not." Sixkiller turned her attention to the new prisoners. In her possession were six Andalites, one of them a controller. She also has a bird and four humans. It wouldn't get any better than that. She had stashed the unconscious assortment of animals in the cargo hold, again, she was sure to confine them to force-field cells, she was also going to check to see that they have all gotten out of their various morphs before time was up. The last thing she wanted was a pack of trapped animals with humans in their heads. They would be of no use to her.

Sixkiller glanced at what Zohare was doing, upgrade was at twenty nine percent. Not enough.

She un-tinted Marco's cell and walked towards him, she knew that if she spoke he would hear her, and that if he spoke she would hear him.

"If you think I am stupid enough to believe that you have escaped then you may go ahead and stay in your morph, it will not get you anywhere, or, you could listen to what I have to say."

There was no answer.

"Very well then," the walls darkened. She approached Ax's cell and soon she was looking at him, the walls translucent.

The Andalite said nothing at first, but that was okay, she didn't need him to talk She wanted him to listen.

"Good then, I assume I have your full attention Andalite," Sixkiller talked calmly, "I am in favor of…informing you of the situation you are in, I am telling you this, so that later you may pass the word around when I release you with your comrades."

Sixkiller paused before continuing, "I will not tolerate any nonsense, if you want to stay with each other, alive and unharmed you will do exactly as you are ordered. Any failure to do so will result with immediate execution of whoever I see fit to take the punishment, it may not necessarily be the person who have caused the nonsense."

Sixkiller paced, in her mind she chose her words carefully, she was not ready to tell her prisoners that they were hostages, "I have taken into consideration that as you are an Andalite and indeed hold the infamous Andalite honor and integrity, that you will attempt to…destroy yourself. " Sixkiller managed to just half roll her eyes, it was all she could do to stop herself from pulling a disgusted face, "do not even think of attempting that, by killing yourself you may very well kill others." Sixkiller paused again, "others that you care about…like you brother."

I knew your word was but with the dirt I walk on! Ax spit out angrily. And your honor even less so.

"Hold your anger." Again, the indifferent way Sixkiller used to address people was starting to have effects on her new prisoner; it sparked a wave of anger since by speaking so apathetically she demonstrated her will and power over the situation they were all forced to blunder in. "there is no need for that around here, what is done is done, you are now my property and I could do whatever pleases my mind, I take orders from no one but myself. I intend to make that clear."

Zohare was also hearing her speech but decided not to comment, he was clear on that ages ago. He found that allowing Sixkiller to do as she pleased was the ultimate way to win her side and cause her to turn a blind eye on things.

"You will soon be returned to your fellow comrades but only after you tell me this," Sixkiller paused, "which of your friends is your nephew?"

The Andalite jerked, startled by the question and its absolute irrelevance to her previous statements.

What?

"Which of your friends is Elfangor's child?" She asked.

I will not tell you that, Ax frowned, how was she able to know this little piece of information, and how valuable was it? 

"Very well then, I'll find out sooner or later," she smiled her cold smile again, "hope to whatever it is important to you that it's sooner and not later."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Expect the next chapter really soon because I already finished typing it up. I'm reading over it and waiting for any questions on this chapter, then, I'll post it.

Oh yeah, and expect punctuation errors because I'm full of those ~sorry, my ideas may be good but they're not as good as my English.

Thank god for the spell check –and whoever invented it- without it _no _one would read any of my stories. They just wouldn't make sense with people [running] 'round around' in circles and the Animorphs making 'uneseccary desisions' it took me ages to get these two written correct in writing, I got used to write necessary and decisions in typing correctly but the pen is quite different…

You'll be glad to know that my spelling improved after writing so many stories –sometimes I just write what I'm thinking (figures with too many ideas popping up spelling the words correctly seem very unimportant) and get the computer to do it right for me, these days _I_ correct my own work but only _after_ Microsoft word underlines each word in red for me.

This is sooo much better than my English teacher. My English teacher marks with a _pink_ pen, he says it's reverse psychology, if you see the comments in red then the remark is always negative, if the remark is in pink then it makes it less depressing. I didn't mind that much but, there came a time when my brother had him as an English teacher. He had something against seeing teacher comments scribbled in pink.

After a while I did too. 

Oh by the way, if you ever see me write Zohare as 'Zoahre' ignore it, that's just frequent slip I'm having while I type the name, I corrected those that I saw, I could have missed some, and if you find me writing things like round around in circles or something equally stupid just figure out what's it supposed to mean and turn a blind eye.


	7. Cargo hold

This is my feedback squared section- feedback for your feedback;

~morpherkidvb

Actually, there _is_ such thing as a dumb question, but yours _isn't_ dumb. ;-) I do enjoy writing the story -on some occasions, I hate it if I have get writers block- don't we all? As for extracting DNA from dinosaurs, humans can do that. I think. Yeah. I know that they're able to extract DNA from mummies. Dinosaurs wouldn't be so different they just need a few good bones, that's all. And, you're right, Sixkiller did morph to grab Mertil but she morphed a bee. Not a dinosaur. She got the dino bones from a museum and worked on that.

('humans can do that'??! Hey, why couldn't I say 'we' can do that. *looks around suspiciously* don't tell the Animorphs I'm one of _them_. The bad guys. Shh.)

_Chapter Thirty-seven_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 3:04**

My eyes opened. Just like that, and it seemed such a long time had passed since I had last seen another of my kind.

I almost cried with joy, but I didn't. The relief that came over me left just as quickly, all pretenses that the last few months were but a twisted nightmare vanished. Reality was harsh. I was not free. I was not home and I was definitely in an unsafe place.

Where was I?

I climbed slowly to my hooves, I was in a large room…I saw boxes and crates lined behind me…I was in a cage, metal bars prevented me from wandering in my new environment.

But I was not alone. At first I thought that my eyes had deceived me, that it was nothing but a trick of light, but there, on my right was an Andalite just as old as I was, no younger, a female, and on my left…

A _vecol_!

He was lying unconscious, not yet awake, and next to him, was…I frowned, it was definitely the body of a full grown male but from my position I could not tell if he was alive or dead. Also next to him was another Andalite. Male also, larger. Again I could not tell if they were simply unconscious, alive or dead.

I hoped they were alive. I really did. Even the _vecol_.

You're awake.

I jerked. Spun in my cage, nothing. My stalk eyes circled crazily.

Up here. the voice called, on top of the crates, just a little to your right.

That's when my main eyes caught him, and I wondered briefly how could I have missed him, he had been clear in my view.

Are you alright?

I nodded my stalk eyes meekly.

What's your name?

I'm…my name is Asham. my voice sounded soft and broken, Who are you?

I'm _Aristh _Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, the voice replied calmly, are you hurt in any way?

Get me out of here. I found myself sobbing uncontrollably, it was so long since I last heard another Andalite speaking. He was in the military! He was older than me, maybe he could help, I-I'll do what you say.

I'm working on that, Aximili replied gently for me, but I need your help.

My help? I stopped crying. Almost astonished. Surprised.

Yes, I need you to see something for me, its not in my line of sight.

Um, where? I looked around, what was he looking for? The entrance of the room was sealed and there were the crates, the other Andalites and a few aliens also in cages like us.

I can see that there are more cages behind you, but I can't see if they're full or empty and what they contain.

Well, I looked around nervously, there are some people here with me, there's a girl on my right and on my left there's a _vecol_-

A vecol? Aximili interrupted, Is his tail missing?

Most of it, I reported, happy to get my mind off my own misery, and then there's another guy next him. And another guy, he's a bit larger.

They are all unconscious?

Looks like it..

Good, Asham, Aximili complemented me, What about the cages behind you?

What about them? 

Are they empty I mean?

No, I shrugged, they have a bunch of aliens in them. That's all.

Are they humans?

What?

The aliens, are they humans? I could hear a little bit of impatience dribbling out of his voice.

What does a human look like?

They have two legs-

No tail and strong arms? I asked, wait, the creature that's been holding me is a human? Is that what it was?

The creature that's been holding you is a corrupt human. Aximili corrected, These humans here are friends, together we maybe able to break out of here.

But aren't you a soldier…? I asked him, I came close to the edge of my cage to look at him, You could figure it out, right?

There was a long pause. Perhaps.

Oh. So maybe we weren't going to go out. Maybe I wasn't going to go home ever. Never talk to my friends, never go to school again –not that I liked school…and my parents!

I tried hard not to cry, I wouldn't cry again in front of Aximili. He was a soldier. He'd think I'm just some dumb kid then.

How long have you been here? Aximili asked me.

With the human? I asked him, I don't know, months. It felt like ages. But what about you? She had you too?

She never had me, Aximili grunted, I could now see that his tail blade was sheathed, his arms chained. My friends and I fell in a trap, just before this…now we're on the Blade Ship, tell me, Asham, what did-

I jerked as if someone had kicked me with their rear hooves, A Blade Ship? What, you mean a _Yeerk_ Blade Ship? my hearts stopped beating, This human is a controller?

No, Aximili said quickly, there are no Yeerks here, yet. Most of them have been killed-

Arhf!

Arhf!

I jumped. A four-legged creature bounded into the room, but from where I could not tell, the entrance of the room was sealed! The creature was just a bit shorter than me and had a mouth, it's like an opening to its face –similar to the one I've seen on humans- filled with a dozen sharp teeth and a long wet pink thing that dangled at the side.

That's a dog. Aximili told me, you have nothing to fear from it.

Who said anything about being afraid? I eyed the creature, it was running around in circles all over the place, it stopped somewhere back, lowered its head to the ground and seemed to be sniffing at something then it rushed out of sight.

"Hey Ax!" A voice yelled, "Is that you I'm hearing?"

Marco! Aximili yelled, are the others alright?

"Yeah, you could say, we're all here. But man, my head's like aching all over."

Marco, it appears that Sixkiller had more than one Andalite prisoner. Aximili said, he must have added something in private thought speak because the human –I could see him edging closer towards the edge of his cage and looking around- stopped to look at me, He frowned.

"I don't get it Ax-man, what does she want with civilians?" Marco eyed me curiously, he was listening to what _Aristh _Aximili was telling him, I think, because he turned and gazed at the other three Andalites on my left.

"It's Mertil alright." The human shook his head, 'Your brother's here too, and Visser Three."

Visser Three.

Even I knew who that was. I started trembling involuntary. Was I ever going to get out of this place alive?

"Hey its okay kid." I heard the human say, "He isn't going to hurt us. He's locked in too you know."

I am _not_ a kid. I snapped, trying to stop trembling, my name is Asham.

"Yeah? Mine is Marco." Marco looked at me with an expression I could not read, it was hard enough figuring out what's going on in your elders' minds, it's harder trying to figure out what an alien in this bizarre situation was thinking.

"Ax?" Marco said suddenly, "Did you see Tom?"

No.

"I can't get out of here, there's a force field between the bars."

I noticed.

Marco sat down in his cage, he wandered over to his fellow humans, he leaned over one of them, the corners of his mouth lifted. He touched its shoulder, "hey Rachel, wake up."

After a while he left this human and bent over another one, "Jake, Jake wake up man," no answer.

Marco sat down and placed a hoof in this human's face. The reaction was instantaneous. The human jerked up.

Marco laughed, put his hoof down, "Always works doesn't it?"

"Marco, why did you stick your foot in my face?" The human rubbed at his nose, "Whoa, it stinks in here."

"I wanted to wake your humble highness." Marco rolled his eyes, "will you get up and help us out here?"

Jake leaned towards the bars, tested their strength, and noticed me, "Whose he?"

"He says he's Asham. Ax says he's just a civilian kid."

"Why does she have a civilian for a prisoner?" Jake wondered.

Unless she wasn't planning from them to be prisoners. Aximili pointed out, Prince Jake, what if Sixkiller has other plans for the Blade Ship?

"Can't imagine what they would be," Jake sighed, sat down and leaned against the bars.

This was Aximili's _Prince_? An alien? A human?

I stared in disbelief.

"It's alright man." Marco sat beside Jake, "we didn't see it coming."

"Ax had his doubts." Jake sighed again, then, in a lower voice, "Tom?"

"No sign of him, yet, if he's alive he's hiding pretty good-"

The doors opened.

In came one of the humans I'd already seen before, I felt myself shrink away from him. I knew what he was capable of doing. I didn't want to make him angry.

Arhf!

Arhf! Wooahwoah!

The four legged creature again! It ran towards the human and skidded to a halt.

"Hey Zein." The human said, he tossed something small and red towards its mouth, it caught it mid air and gobbled it down. "Been a good girl? Watched them people like I told you?"

The human walked past the dog and up to us, he regarded us each with a weary eye. "You're awake."

No one said anything to that.

"You lied Zohare." The human named Jake said, "we were going to win this war, we were going to have a fair chance."

Zohare approached the cage on my right, the one that held the girl, "This isn't my idea."

"Then why did you do it?" Marco asked, "what's she planning on doing?"

Zohare brought out a key and opened the lock, the key chain jingled as it turned. He opened the cage and went in.

"They're just kids." Marco said, "why does she need them?"

Zohare leaned over the girl and looked at her face, he brought a hand up to her neck then got up, out of the cage and retrieved a hypo.

"No one's got any business snatching up a kid." Jake said.

"They're just aliens." Zohare replied.

"No, they're sentient too." Marco said, "that girl Sixkiller? She's been playing round with your head."

Zohare who had just finished emptying the contents of the hypo into the girl's blood stream stood up, he faced Marco, "you don't know Sixkiller as well as I do."

Jake shook his head, "when's she coming down here then? What are you going to do? You can't keep us here forever."

The statement lingered in the air like thin ice ready to crack. Zohare glanced at us, "if we wanted to, we could."

I felt a shiver run down my spine.

The girl jerked, her eyes fluttered open, once she saw the human that towered over her she scrambled on her feet, Don't touch me!

The human crouched down to her eyelevel, "Wouldn't have to. If only you'll listen to me I wouldn't touch you, or hurt you."

Jake, Marco and Aximili watched Zohare carefully. Tense.

"Follow me." Zohare said, "and don't try to run."

What do you want from her? Aximili glared down at Zohare, he managed to look threatening even though he was shackled.

"That's none of your business." Zoahre grinned down at the girl and winked, "That's a secret between me and Cheain here."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The sooner I get feedback the sooner you'll get your next chapter.

Then we'll both be happy.


	8. Hostage situation

This is my feedback squared section;

~Me

No the animorphs didn't grow up. Asham is a kid, so is Cheian. Relatively to humans, you could say that Asham is a ten-year-old boy and Cheian seven/eight year old girl. Since you asked about Marco, I'll tell you this; something is going to happen to him. Well. Figuratively speaking, you'll find out what five chapters from now. Almost. 

~morpherkidvb

I'll answer because I'm in a friendly mood (aren't I always?) by 'hypo' I did mean hypodermic needle. He injected a stimulant in Cheian's blood stream, to wake her up. 

~SouthrnBelle

Thanks a lot. *sobs* okay, I'll cut it out. Zohare took Cheian. The little Andalite girl. 

~Alikat

Thanks for the complements. Actually, I'm thanking everyone who reviewed *yeah!* And about the cages? Okay, here's how it goes; all of the prisoners are in the cargo hold. The Andalites in separate cages and all the humans are rounded up in one big cage. Tobias is with the rest of the human Animorphs. As for my Back to Before or After the Before (or whatever I called it) I have no idea. It' one of my old stories and I stopped writing it because I got too caught up in this one. 

_Chapter Thirty-eight_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 4:00**

"System upgrade is at sixty percent." Zohare announced, they were drifting steadily away from Earth, they were traveling in Z-space, whatever the Pool Ship thought of the Blade Ship's disappearance was a mystery.

"Good." Sixkiller stood at the center of the bridge. "Keep working Zohare."

"I'm on that." Zohare said, after a brief paused, "Captain."

'Captain' did nothing more than smile approvingly, she turned away from Zohare and planted her gaze on the little Andalite girl that stood a few feet from her. She smiled her cold smile.

"You better not screw this up, kid."

Cheian looked nervously at the ground, her eyes averted from Zohare to Sixkiller.

Sixkiller crouched down to the kid, "Because if you do, I'm going to be a very mad human. And do you want to know what mad humans do?"

Cheian shook her eyestalks; no she didn't want to know.

"Good, I don't want to find out either." Sixkiller stood up, "Zohare prepare previous communications, I'm ready to address the Andalite fleet."

"Communications are being set up. Captain."

Sixkiller's eyes wondered over to the girl again, she looked scared and nervous, Sixkiller hoped that fear would force her to deliver her message word for word.

"Communication channel is opening. We're ready."

"Cheian?"

The Andalite girl walked towards the communication screen. Sixkiller stood firm and stiff, Zohare continued with his work but stopped for a second to give the Andalite girl an encouraging look.

Sixkiller caught it, "Zohare, your eyes are to your work only."

"Yes Captain, two-way communication is set up and ready, the Andalite fleet have recognized the transition as one originating from a Yeerk ship."

"On screen." Sixkiller commanded, "angle the camera's so they pick up Cheian only. Narrow audio down to pick up thought-speak messages. Good. Now start. Cheian? You're on."

An Andalite officer's face snapped into view, he looked cold and indifferent until his screen greeted him with the image of Cheian. The small and fragile Andalite girl.

Who are you? The officer demanded. He looked surprised and caught off guard.

My name is Cheian-Syther-Hatheel. I'm… Cheian glanced nervously at Sixkiller, I'm a hostage to the human that has seized control of this ship, she claims that if you do not do as she commands she will terminate my life as well as other Andalites who are aboard this ship.

What- The Andalite officer started but Sixkiller shook her head at Cheian, "go on."

The Andalites that she has aboard this ship are Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, Cheian was talked fast, her voice shook, Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, Mertil-Iscar-Elmand, Asham-Arrepoth-Sofeel. She also has in her possession the five morph-capable humans, a Blade Ship, and a blue box.

Cheian's stalk eyes averted she stuttered when the officer's look turned from surprise to alarm. As if the officer's realizing the depth of her situation was making her lose control of her feelings. Sh-She has a number of things she wants from the Andalite fleet but her first order is that you divert the ships that guard the Yeerk home world and send them to Earth.

The officer who had yet to try and talk was taking in the information slowly, blood drained out of his face and he paled a few shades. His stalk eyes looked left, then right.

Cheian continued with a voice that cracked and shook violently, she was on the verge of breaking down in sobs. If you do not respond to her first order she will kill me within ten standard hours and grant the Yeerks on Earth Andalite morphing technology.

Cheian paused slightly, her fingers trembled and her stalk eyes quivered. With sudden energy she screamed out the plea that repeated itself over and over in her head. Please help me. Don't let her kill me! Please-

"Cut communications!" Sixkiller snapped.

"Communication terminated." Zohare's eyes flickered briefly towards Cheian. There was nothing he could do, just hope that Sixkiller wasn't mad enough to scare Cheian out of her wits.

Sixkiller marched over to Cheian and grabbed her by her arm, "come on."

Don't hurt me, please don't hurt me. Cheian struggled against Sixkiller, but it was a futile attempt, the human's arms were far stronger than hers. The grip was almost mechanical, like nothing could break loose of the five-fingered hand. Sixkiller's nails dug into Cheian's flesh as she pushed her back into the cargo hold.

In the cargo hold all the prisoners were up and conscious, a few angered faces turned towards her as Cheian stumbled and fell with a cry of pain.

Sixkiller kicked the fallen body, "Get up."

The child trembled, her head bent low but she obeyed.

Sixkiller locked the cage behind Cheian and walked over to the other cages, her fingers brushed the bars as she walked back and forth between Asham's cage and the Visser's cage.

She stopped in front of Asham's cage. Looked at him then walked over to Mertil's. Watched. Paused, walked to the next cage. Watched, paused, then walked to the last cage.

"Later." Sixkiller said, she thumped her thigh, pointed at Mertil, "I'm coming back for you."

*** *** ***

"Upgrade at seventy five percent." Zohare said, his fingers flashed across the interface.

"I can take the rest from here." Sixkiller said, "you check on the prisoners."

"Sure." Zohare hesitated, in a soft voice he asked, "it's getting worse isn't it?"

"Check on the prisoners will you?" Sixkiller's voice was hard.

"Sedra," Zohare said, calling her by her true name, "it's not any better is it?"

"No," she snapped, "will you go now?"

"Let me look at your face."

"I'm fine."

"I want to see your eyes."

Sixkiller sighed, she stopped what she was doing and turned to face Zohare. "You have my eyes."

Zohare who was at first earnestly examining her eyes found himself looking deep within them. What he saw was not the mad raving lunatic, the psychotic mad woman who was planning to teach the world a harsh lesson, but seeing far beyond the hardness of her eyes he saw something else. Something small and barely there. As soft and as delicate as the very plan they were hatching.

"I'm dimming the lights." Zohare said, "No way you'll last all night."

"They'll know then." Sixkiller said with a sigh, "they'll sense something…something wrong."

"They will sooner or later," Zohare pointed out.

"Later would be fine."

"I'll leave the cargo hold with light functioning at a hundred percent, the rest of the ship I'm cutting down to forty. We'll see how you do then."

"Okay," Sixkiller sighed, she looked back down at the interface with her blood shot eyes and continued working. But something was distracting her.

Zohare hadn't bulged from his spot. He was still looking at her.

"What?"

"Nothing it's just…" -Zohare hesitated, his thinking was that if it was his last time why waste it? And if it was the last time he'll ever have her attention this earnestly why spoil it? – "its just that I wanted to tell you this."

"Tell me what?" Sixkiller looked back to Zohare.

"This," with that he grabbed her head and kissed her.

Once they parted Zohare noted with pleasure that the expression on her face had changed completely.

But it returned after she gave him a sad smile that encompassed the situation they were in, a look that would have been unreadable if he had not known her as closely as he did now.

A look that told him of just how much she cared for him and how much it hurt to tell him just that.

Zohare nodding sadly, "you know I love you too."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

If you have questions ask them now, I have the answers and I'm loading the next chapter by tomorrow. I think 

Do _not_ ask me what's wrong with Sixkiller, you'll find out later. 


	9. Zohare's dilemma

Answers, answers, answers -I love saying that;

~Lydia

Ax says that too. Besides, Cheian's just a little kid. It's more like how we'd say TV instead of television -I just felt like answering that.

I want to thank all of u for reviewing so fast. Sooo, I'm uploading faster. Well, if I don't upload fast don't take it on me, take it on my computer who –for some inexplicable reason- refuses to connect at certain times. 

_Chapter Thirty-nine_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 5:55**

Zohare walked quickly down the corridor, he glanced nervously behind him, as if afraid someone might jump up and strangle him. His heart hammered. He could feel his pulse throughout his body.

If Sixkiller found out…

But Sixkiller was doing all the wrong things, even to his morality, he sensed something not right about what she does. Besides, he had already guessed that the outcome of this mission whether they win or not would result in harming Sixkiller.

He wouldn't let that happen. Not as long as he was alive to do something about it.

He was a true friend, and true friends did what's right for you.

In his life Zohare had met many aliens, what distinguished humans from all those other aliens was that they understood love, they understood it so well that they acknowledged that sometimes to love was to let go.

Zohare had a hard time learning that. But in the end he taught himself the lesson he could not bare learn. It happened a long time ago…Zohare loved birds, he loved having them around hearing their beautiful songs, and each bird had a different one to sing. And each bird was a work of art, different colors, fragile wings and a delicate frame.

Zohare had a cage that held two canaries, and being a profound bird lover he adored their company, he would feed them every day and even set out a table in his garden to eat in their company. There was something about hearing birds sing that calmed Zohare and he loved it.

But Zohare knew that birds belonged to the skies, and no matter how much he cared for them and adored their company he knew his love would never compensate for their need to fly free. The right thing to do was to set them free.

Zohare had loved his birds enough to come to his senses and grant them their freedom, was he able to do the same for Sedra? Would he be strong enough to set her free from her herself? Her anger?

To what lengths would he go? And would a face-to-face confrontation lead him to succumb to his weakness?

Zohare is a bird watcher now, ever since he let the birds loose he had never caged one, he was there to witness what he loved about them but never got the chance to come close enough to reach out and touch them.

If he gave Sedra her freedom the same would happened there. He would be there to watch her from a distance, witness what he loved about her, but never close enough to reach out and touch her.

Did he want _that_ to happen?

Fast. Walk faster. Sixkiller will know that there's something wrong if Zohare came late, she'll wonder…

Zohare could barely swallow; he tried to push down the lump of fear that slowly climbed up his throat, suffocating him.

Upgrade was at eighty six percent; the screen had flashed and told Zohare that there was someone aboard this ship in a morph.

It was none of the prisoners, he checked on that, so it had to be someone outside the cargo hold.

The cargo hold. Inside and he felt like he was chocking on his tongue, if Sixkiller found out…she'll be mad, really mad. He was betraying her.

And for what?

Zohare paused, considering. The prisoners stared, sensing something wrong.

Zohare walked hastily to the Animorphs' cell. He advanced quietly and quickly, when he came close he talked in fast whispers. "If you've got a comrade out here on the Blade Ship order him not to morph."

"What?" Jake looked surprised.

Zohare could hear the tell tale clicks of Zein coming, he knew that Sixkiller would behind her.

"Morphing is the key to detection" he hissed. "just trust me on this.."

Zohare yanked himself away from the cage and walked hurryingly towards Mertil's cage, "Don't give me trouble man," he whispered, he looked nervously towards the entrance, "I'll explain everything, but you've got to come. Now."

Mertil looked surprised as Zohare opened the cage and hissed, "_Come on!_"

Mertil clopped out of the cage and followed Zohare out of the cargo hold.

Zohare's heart leapt at the back of his throat.

Sixkiller stood with an unreadable expression across her face.

It was too late to blow off the frightened look; she caught it. Zohare swallowed and said, "Shit, you scared me, what're you doing standing here?"

Sixkiller said nothing, her expression mutated from hurt, to disappointment to furious rage, all in the space of a second.

In the darkness of the corridor Zohare could see her eyes, huge and black, like someone had carved her eyes out of large pieces of obsidian, he couldn't see the whites of her eyes.

And the darkness was so deep.

Sixkiller shoved Zohare in. He stumbled and fell to the ground. With a swipe of her hand she motioned to Mertil to get back in. Confused and alarmed he did so without trouble. What else was he going to do anyway? He was a _vecol_. He couldn't fight, couldn't morph. Weak.

Once Sixkiller entered the bright cargo hold she received a stinging pain in a corner of her brain, it was almost overwhelming, had she not been angry as she was she would not have stood as tall as she did.

"Sedra-"

She kicked him hard, Zohare gasped and clutched at his stomach, blood gushed out of his mouth. The girl seemed to be able to pack extraordinary power behind her kicks.

"This is one of these times when you've got to be very, very clear about what you're saying."

The Animorphs and the Andalites were all on edge, what was going on? They had all noticed Sixkiller's blow, and its effect, they all caught the largely black eyes, and they heard her voice, the usually low and husky voice was distorted. As if the anger had played with her vocal chords.

"Nod if you hear me."

Zohare looked around for help, the only thing that was near him was Mertil and he couldn't help no…where was Zein? His vision was distorted.

Sixkiller kicked him again. Hard. "_Nod!_"

Feeling shaky. Zohare nodded his head a couple of times.

"Sit up."

He did and Sixkiller paced around him.

"What where you doing?" The question left him breathless.

"I was talking to the prisoners."

"Why were you talking to _my_ prisoners?"

'My' he didn't miss the emphases on that word.

"I'm sorry," Zohare gasped, "I just wanted to find something out."

"Which was?"

Zohare swallowed, "you wanted to know which of them was Elfangor's son. They told me."

As Sixkiller paced around him she lifted her eyes to the prisoners, eyeing them one by one, "and why would they volunteer that information?"

"Because it means nothing to them." Zohare sent a pleading look towards the Animorphs' direction when Sixkiller turned away and then walked back to him.

"And who is Elfangor's son?"

"Uh…" Zohare stood up to his feet, he drifted towards the cages, shook his head.

The bird rearranged his wings noisily, It's me.

Sixkiller's eyebrows shot up, "The bird?"

"Yeah." Zohare stared at the ground.

'Good." Sixkiller said, she didn't look at Zohare as she spoke, "I appreciate that piece of information."

Zohare felt light headed, "I should have told you before-"

"But that still does not explain why you were talking in such a low tone." Sixkiller tapped her shoe to the ground; the heels gave off loud clicks. "So why were you doing that?"

Argf!

Zein! The dog jumped in and pranced away from Sixkiller who was standing near the entrance. She stood near her owner and licked his face.

Sixkiller frowned.

Zohare got off the ground and assumed a cocky stance, "Captain, this is a matter I will talk to you about but not in the presence of the prisoners."

Sixkiller stopped tapping her heel. She snapped at Zohare. "Then humor me."

Zohare laughed, "are you alright?"

"What?" Sixkiller looked confused, she looked down at the dog again, then at Zohare.

"Did you hear me?" Zohare frowned.

"What were you saying?" Sixkiller looked away from the dog and back to Zohare, she forgot to be angry about the previous actions.

Zohare cocked his head at Mertil who was staring at the two in bewilderment.

"What?"

"The prisoner."

"What with him?"

"You were here to take him," Zohare gave Sixkiller a significant look, and then he converted it to a frown. Having her attention he nodded at the lights.

Sixkiller's face flushed. "Oh yes."

Zohare breathed a sigh of relief, he rewarded Zein with another slice of liver as Sixkiller led Mertil out.

Next time he wouldn't be so lucky, he couldn't count on Zein being there every time Sixkiller sensed something fishy.

"What the hell happened?" Jake asked.

Zohare turned to the confused prisoners, wiped his bloody mouth and said, "later, this isn't going to work every time. When she's busy I'll come, but like I told you; tell your friend to keep out of sight and out of morph. The ship's computers will be able to detect him. Plus, don't let him spy on us on the bridge, we're installing a device that forces you to demorph."

Zohare trotted out side the cargo hold, before going he turned and said, "don't try to escape, she'll kill all of you."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Like I said, I'm uploading faster, so, be on the look out more often, k?

(And I'm betting my PC is going to get stubborn on me, gosh, I jinxed myself. _Stupid_.)


	10. Tom

~MeShelly

See, this issue has always been a mystery to me, why? Because K.A contradicted herself in the Andalite Chronicles. Andalite _do_ cry, only there are no tears. You see, Elfangor sobbed to his tree –whatever it's name was- and then he cried in front of the Captain at the end of the story, only it says he cried the Andalite way, in his heart. So, uh, there you go. Andalite do cry. Without tears. Asham cried. But I didn't mention tears. 

_Chapter Forty_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 6:54**

And what did he say? Aximili prodded.

Cheian shrugged helplessly, she didn't give him a chance to talk.

"That's it?" Marco asked, "What? We're back to square one?"

Afraid so, Visser one sneered. This is extremely foolish, why don't you call your friend, he'll be able to get us out of here.

Everyone ignored him. I did too, I tried not to think of him too much. Bad enough to be trapped and used as hostages by a human lunatic worse if you're in the company of the Andalite's most hated enemy.

I tried not to think of Prince Elfangor as well. Ever since he got up shakily on his hooves he never spoke to anyone, never looked at anything in particular. Not his brother, not –what I later learned- his son.

It scared me to know that the human was able to do this to Prince Elfangor, Prince Elfangor is a hero, a well respected and loved person.

Back home, every one loved Elfangor.

Unfortunately, we weren't 'back home'. And not everybody loved Elfangor as terribly as the Andalite people.

Aren't you going to do something about this? The Visser snickered at Prince Elfangor. You are an absolute waste of space, just tell me how you managed to survive my attack, I was sure I ripped you to pieces.

Shut up.

The _Aristh_.

I should have seen it, Visser one went on, oblivious to all but himself, seemingly enjoying the sound of his own voice, no, the voice he stole. The rest of Elfangor's family, right here. Loren's offspring and the pathetic Andalite child. I really should have finished you when I had the chance. The Visser looked at Aximili, And I had a coupe of those.

I did too, Aximili spat, you were fortunate that your minions were there to back you up. 

"Don't let him get to you Ax-man." Marco laughed, "Don't lower yourself to his standards." Marco's eyes wondered over to the Visser, "he's just a Yeerk with nothing better to do than talk rubbish."

Puny human, you dare mock me?

"I told you he was bored." Marco said to Rachel.

Rachel rolled her eyes. Then went back to looking at the bird. I have learnt that his name is Tobias, and the human Rachel spent most of her time close by him. I didn't know why. Maybe he was ill.

Aximili's prince stared stonily at the distance, beside him sat a dark skinned human. I wondered if humans came in a wider range of colors. There seemed to be a wide variation of color in humans, some came with golden hair, some with brown hair, others black hair. Eye colors ranged from blue to various shades of brown. And the skin was always a shade of tan, some came paler than others It was the first time I saw a human with really dark skin. Maybe they had other brighter colors.

Ever since the abomination woke up none of the Animorphs –that's what they called themselves- talked to each other a lot.

When _Aristh_ Aximili wasn't trading insults with the Visser he would stare at his brother, maybe he would talk to him, I wouldn't know.

The _vecol_ would keep to himself, but he wasn't in his cage, ever since the conflict between the two humans –Sixkiller and Zohare- no one had come or left the cargo hold.

It was starting to get boring, but I didn't complain. I didn't need any stimulation.

Cheian was staring at the ground, out of boredom I talked to her. If I wasn't bored I wouldn't have bothered. She was just a kid. A girl.

How did the bridge look like? I asked, curious, was it really a Blade Ship?

I don't know. I've never been on a Blade Ship before.

Hope that you never will after this.

You know, you don't have to treat me like I'm some stupid idiot kid.

_No offense, but you are_, I thought to myself, but kept quite.

I doubt that I'm much younger than you. She challenged.

I rolled my stalk eyes, Give me a break.

Thudding. This killed our lame attempt at conversing. A human walking quickly in our direction. Into the cargo hold.

Not Sixkiller. 

Not Zohare.

He appeared of the same age, but who could tell with humans?

Prince Jake stood up. "Tom."

"Looking kind of trapped huh, little brother?"

"You're back cousin." Rachel smiled, "what did you find out?"

Tom shook his head, "snooping around isn't my idea of a good plan. I could easily get detected."

"You don't say." Rachel grinned.

"Did you talk to Zohare?" Cassie asked quickly. Getting up.

"No. Not yet, he motioned for me to back off, Sixkiller was having Mertil talk to the fleet, some Andalite named…Suleman something-something, I didn't catch the name. But hell, it doesn't look good. They're not believing a word she's saying."

Cheian shivered and I felt sorry for her. Sorry for her and afraid for me. Sixkiller had promised high command that she would execute Cheian if they did not divert the fleet to Earth.

"Where does that leave us?" Marco demanded.

"It leaves us no where." Tom said, "I can't get you out and Sixkiller's running her own show. She comes here every now and then at random to check on you guys."

You cannot access the controls? Visser Three demanded.

Tom rolled his eyes, "will you shut up?"

She would have changed all codes by now, Aximili leered at the Visser, she is not as stupid as you think she is.

Visser Three lapsed into silence.

This is my ship. I know its secrets.

This turned Jake around, "Oh yeah? How come you're trapped here with us then?"

I need someone who is able to roam the ship, if any of us leave it will cause the human to become suspicious.

"What do you plan on doing-"

Someone's coming! Tobias shouted suddenly, he flapped hi wings. Take cover Tom!

What was he talking about? I couldn't hear anything.

Tom hid behind a tower of crates at the back of the cargo hold. Sixkiller was accompanied by the clopping of Andalite hooves, Mertil was back.

There was something wrong with her, the human, she was…different. I couldn't tell how but something about her changed, her face was tense, her gait was controlled and self-aware.

She stood in front of Visser Three's cell. "You're next."

Sheathed and chained the Visser was led out of his cell, a dracon beam trained to his face, she stood very near to him, she shoved her face close to his, "I'm a very, very angry human, don't push me, you're already in my bad books. Don't give me an excuse to smoke you." She tapped the muzzle of the dracon beam against his temple.

You have my cooperation. Visser Three managed to say, But I want to discuss a few issues with you.

"Save all the talking for later," Sixkiller sneered, "I need you to do something for me."

Which is?

Sixkiller shoved him in front of her, she pointed with her dracon beam to the entrance of the cargo hold, "move."

When Sixkiller left Tom scurried into view.

"What's she doing?" He hissed.

"She took the Visser." Marco said.

"Oh, man." Tom whispered.

"What?" Rachel demanded.

"She swore that she'd give the Yeerk's morphing technology if the Andalites didn't comply to her first orders."

"Shoot." Marco mumbled.

"She's giving the blue box to the Yeerks?!" Rachel demanded, "How stupid is that?"

No. Mertil said quietly, it was practically the first time I heard him speak, she's not that stupid, I sense that she has something in store. he cast a glance towards Marco, I'm not sure what it is. But be sure of one thing; she will _not_ give anyone advanced technology.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Here's what I'm asking, I need you people to vote for;

A) A longer story.

B) Round up the series.

I need to decide now, if I end it too soon its probably because no one spoke their mind, I'm just saying this so there's no complaining. Just review with an A or B. If you don't I'll probably end it some time soon… I think, well, I have an idea if I have to extend the story. But then that's more work…_not _that I complain.


	11. Hector

Make it longer, yeah, I was thinking about that, if anyone has any doubts that I couldn't extend the plot then read on, this chapter…uh…sort of opens you up a bit on the 'whole' picture and were the plot is heading. 

This chapter sort of reminds me of my mother's driving, you know, when she's flying over speed bumps because it's dark or she doesn't notice them until it's too late? And I'd be shouting things like "don't wreck the car, its brand new!" Yeah, well, you'll be doing that too, you'll read this chapter and then do a double take, just don't go too fast, okay? If you go too fast you'll wreck the excitement. I know it's confusing -a little bit, but it _will _make sense. Promise. 

I'm issuing an order here; when you finish reading **review**. I swear I wasted time off my studying to do this, and I have my mid-year Chemistry exam, like, tomorrow! 

_Chapter Forty-one_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 7:02**

Clop-clop.

Clop-clop.

Hooves clicking on metal. And with them the faint thudding of human shoes, the ones with rubber soles that don't make a lot of noise.

But something was wrong. Along with the hooves and the thudding feet was panting, ragged and low.

The shoe thudding was irregular. Like someone being half dragged half carried.

Tobias straightened up sharply, raised his head and concentrated.

"What?" Rachel looked at him with her fierce blue eyes.

They're coming,

"About time," Marco grumbled. "I'm bored already."

No. Tobias said, Jake, there's something wrong.

And then Tobias –as well as everyone else- had a chance to see what was wrong. Tobias felt his little bird heart leap and sink all in one moment.

Visser Three was dragging Zohare behind him, Zohare was tumbling and scrambling up, his face was wet with tears and he looked scared out of his mind.

Tobias flapped his wings as the others stirred beside him.

"How'd he do that?" Rachel hissed.

Cassie looked troubled.

They all moved out of the way as Visser Three unlocked the cage and threw Zohare in. He pointed the dracon beam at Zohare and sneered lightly. Then he turned and took off.

Cassie rushed towards Zohare, she touched his arm, "are you alright-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" He bellowed.

Cassie jerked, stunned. So was Tobias. Marco raised an eyebrow and Rachel settled beside Tobias.

Cassie tried again, "We're just trying to help, we-"

Zohare who was crouching near the ground touching his face nervously screamed at them to back away. He gestured widely at the cage, "_Mysideyourside!_ _Myside-yourside!_ My side! Your side! MY SIDE, YOUR _SIDE!_"

This was the raving of a lunatic.

Tobias could tell.

His blue eyes were wild and out of focus, beads of sweat lined his forehead and his eyes were red from crying.

Needless to say, every one else was very still.

"What happened?"

Zohare was mumbling incoherent words to himself, he played with his lips.

"Hey, hey, anyone home? We're talking to you." Rachel snapped. Rachel isn't sympathetic when she's been trapped for seven hours in a cage. Seven hours and nineteen minutes according to Ax.

Zohare started touching his face nervously, the sides of his head, his ears. "All gone…" he whispered.

What's that? Tobias asked, he caught a flash of something beneath the vest Zohare was wearing.

"What?" Macro asked, his eyes glued to Zohare. Zohare was a large fellow. Really big, Tobias would have felt better if he was thrown in another cage or chained or something like that.

His arm…

Zohare heard Tobias, he laughed out loud; shaky uncontrollable laughter. He pulled down the neck of his vest and revealed to them what Tobias had spotted.

It was a marking of some sort; three vertical slashes with one diagonal line that had a few breaks in it. It shone and glittered as if the markings were metal.

"See that?" Zohare panted, his face was flushed with exertion, like he had run up and down a flight of stairs, "Third wave…the elite…they always attack in waves. They…everyone feared them. No one stood in our way."

Who? Zohare's words were confusing. Who was 'they' and who was 'our'? Looking at the silver markings Tobias's mind recalled Sixkiller sharp, curved nails, claws really.

"Yeerks," Zohare breathed, "you…heroes. But…"

The Animorphs all stared at each other.

"Zohare…"

Zohare shook his head he coughed. Once he removed his hand Tobias caught blood on it. "Zohare gone…I'm…Hector. I'm all that's left."

Jake leapt forward.

Marco's eyes narrowed. Cassie's widened in sudden astonishment.

Rachel said, "Wait, Zohare's a _Yeerk_?"

Hector nodded, struggled up to his feet. "Hector…Hector from-" –he laughed crazily, he shook his head- "too long!" he touched his head gently, "it's quite."

"Yeah it is." Cassie interjected gently before anyone had a chance to say anything, she motioned or the group to keep still and quite. "Is Zohare good with you?"

Hector closed his eyes, when he talked his voice was strained, "Better than others. But then Zohare is… different. Strange. He could see. Not many Yeerks could see as far as Zohare did. And Sixkiller. He loves her."

Rachel raised her eyebrows, "Figures. Only a Yeerk would ever be capable of loving that monster of a human."

Hector shook his head, "no. She is different too, not like you, not like me, not like any human." He talked haltingly, like it was too painful to talk.

Or maybe too difficult to talk again.

"Sixkiller is…human. To a certain extent. But…the lights…Zein." Hector brought a shaking hand to his face, breathed, "she has a plan. But. She's too blind. Her anger. Her pain, and Zohare…if he's not strong enough, she will get her way and not even…" Zohare labored for breath, "not even the future could help you."

"_What?_" Marco exclaimed. Every one looked either lost or confused, 

"Me…Zohare...we're…from the future." Hector gasped, "Yeerks won the war. But Sixkiller interfered, she's smart. She knows. And-"

"Sixkiller is from the future too?" Jake demanded, he glanced at the Andalites.

"No." Zohare shook his head. "Sixkiller's is history. Past. From this time."

Is Sixkiller a Yeerk? Tobias demanded

"No."

It was almost too much to take in, Zohare a Yeerk from the future. Sixkiller a girl from the past. What did it all mean?

"The time line." Hector paused, "it's confused."

"But close to this?" Cassie whispered, "close to the blade ship."

Hector nodded, he looked at Rachel, then at Tom –he had come out of hiding- "you too. In the real time line. Dead. You…" he looked at Rachel, "you too…but Jake, he…"

Rachel looked sick.

Tom looked even sicker.

"I what?" Jake demanded.

"And you…" Hector nodded at Tobias, "so angry. She"-he nodded at Rachel-"broke your heart."

Rachel's heart leapt at the back of her throat "Why, what did I do?".

"Jake…" Hector shook his head laughed, "you don't need this. Not the right time."

"Wait. Wait." Marco said, "if you're from the 'future' and the future is screwed how come you know what we did?"

"Who said the future was screwed?" Hector had gotten a grip on his tongue. But the frenzied look was still there. The madness of being held captive in his own brain for so long. The madness of a free willed being forced to live a life of a slave. Plus he looked like someone had ruffed him up. Beaten him.

"Wait, you said the Yeerks won,"

"They did."

"We lost?" Rachel asked in a small voice.

"No." Hector heaved himself up, "You won. Later, Andalites lose."

"How come?" Nothing he was saying made any sense at all.

"See. This Blade Ship? This Blade Ship is what mattered, once it got Aximili, then it got the rest of his race."

"_What?_"

"Have to knock the time line." Hector whispered, "stop the Balde Ship from entering…space."

"We're already in space." Cassie pointed out. "is it too late?"

"No, not Andalite space…Kelbrid space."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

No comments.

Not a word from me.

It's _your_ turn to surprise me.


	12. Andalite high command

~Lydia Belagua

Thanks a lot for the reviews, you and everyone, okay, since you ask I'll tell you, I think…I _think_, I have something planned for Abby. She's on Earth. But that's all I'm saying.

_Chapter Forty-two_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 8:22**

Sixkiller looked smug and arrogant.

The Andalites on screen looked like they just digested dead grass.

Beside her Zohare, controlling Alloran. To the Andalites he was Visser Three.

And soon, I will become Visser one. Zohare gloated, I'll become an even bigger slap to your faces.

Sixkiller said, "it's too late to go back on your word, War Prince Suleman. I will give the Yeerks Andalite morphing technology," she paced at leisure, "I am a grand keeper of my word…just like the infamous Andalite integrity. I have had…so much to look up to."

She planted a sweet smile on her face, it caused Zohare's Andalite hearts to beat faster. "Aren't I smart for such an inferior creature?"

Zohare wondered if it was wise of Sixkiller to antagonize Suleman, his eyes looked ready to pop.

You are behaving foolishly. Prince Asculan-Semitur-Langor spat, the nastier looking Andalite who stood beside Suleman. Do you think you or your race will gain anything from giving the Yeerks Andalite technology?!

"Ah, yes. And no." Sixkiller said bluntly, "I wouldn't gain anything, my race would gain nothing, but you see, the situation on Earth is quite hopeless, I was wishing that you would kindly divert your fleet to…assisting us but you chose to ignore me. Now. You must know something about me, and it's this; if I wouldn't gain anything then neither would you."

You're condemning other races as well as your to slavery!

Sixkiller laughed, "then it would be your turn next. What's it with you people? Can't the almighty Andalites handle a _fair_ fight?" her eyes narrowed dangerously, "or was the universe mistaken for calling you almighty?"

Asculan's face turned a darker shade of blue, if he was human and as old as he was now; spit would have rained down on the screen as he thundered his angry words, are you so ignorant and naive, human, that you would doubt the Andalite's strength?!

"No I wouldn't, show me some strength first then give me time to doubt it."

Zohare spewed out laughter as he caught the Andalite's expressions.

Hilarious. Sixkiller was talking down the Andalites and they were licking up every word she spit at them.

It took every ounce of self-control that Suleman had to manage to restrain his friend from haphazard lashing out at the screen and to stop himself from screaming out every obscene word he could think of.

Instead, with whatever dignity he had left, he said tightly. I must conferee with my officers before I can give you my final word.

"I'm sure you do."

There was a pause.

Daintily, Sixkiller said, "Need anything else?"

Asculan said, Bring back the _vecol_, we're talking through _him_ next time.

The screen went blank.

Brief silence as the pair exchanged looks.

There was a loud explosion of laughter.

Sixkiller collapsed to the ground crying out tears of delight, "Did- did- you see. His. His Face!?"

Zohare was laughing as well, but not as madly as Sixiller's hyena like shrieks. His laughter was heard in her head alone. I thought his eyes were going to pop out!

"Could have boiled an egg on his head." Sixkiller gasped through tears of frenzied pleasure, "with all that smoke blowing out."

He chocked on his last words.

A renewed roar of laughter escaped from Sixkiller's mouth, "_Bring the vecol!_."

Sixkiller's laughter turned into a series of gasps then, she stopped and uttered a long sigh.

What?

"Must have been years since I last laughed like that. My back is sore. My stomach is sore."

Are you alright? Zohare asked in a more serious tone. He had caught her bloodshot eyes.

Sixkiller, still on the ground, leaned against the bulkhead, closed her eyes "a pain I sort of enjoy."

Let me see-

Sixkiller brushed his fingers away from her face. "Reminds me of-" her ecstatic countenance turned sour. She sighed. Got up.

Of what?

"Nothing. Forget it."

No, really.

"I was going to say my brother." Sixkiller shook her head, "Forget I even mention this, okay?"

You miss them, don't you? Zohare asked Sixkiller and he noted her reaction sadly.

"Always." Sixkiller looked wistfully at the distance, "there are some things you just can't change."

Zohare felt sorry for his friend.

"Come on," Sixkiller said good naturedly –or what passed as being good natured for her- "let's quit fooling around." She snickered. "We've got a universe to conquer."

And Andalites to intimidate.

"That guy Asculan probably used one of is fellows as a punching bag to blow the steam out." Sixkiller said as she went back to updating the systems. "He lacks self control."

Yes. He does.

"So." Sixkiller said loudly, "What are you going to do with Hector."

Zohare shrugged.

"You didn't throw him in with the rest of the prisoners, did you?" Sixkiller didn't look up from her work.

There was no answer.

"Well, did you?" Sixkiller glanced up at Zohare, "_Damn _it Zohare! Get him out of there! The last thing I need is the Animorphs figuring out my weaknesses."

Zohare galloped off to undo his deliberate mistake.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." Sixkiller muttered. "Never send an alien to do a 'man's job."

And by 'man' she meant human. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	13. When not to say 'no'

You have questions, I have answers, let's share. hehehe. 

~Alikat

Okay, okay, I did it, alright? It's in chapter fifteen, you don't like suspense do you? Chapter fifteen has a major part of Sixkiller's history written in it plus, and to 'ME's relief, this chapter as well as chapter fifteen tells you how Sixkiller's and Marco are going to clash. This chapter tells you the clash and in fifteen a definite clash. I said enough. I think

~Misty

As for Elfangor, since _no_ one is going to let this story untangle naturally (kidding, I'm in a weird mood lately.) I'm telling you that Elfangor _is_ going to be involved, currently he's sort of shutting down, Sixkiller messed him up bad, I suppose, but he picks up later. You see that in chapter fifteen as well.

Okay.

You want to know how Marco is going to be added in all this? Well, it's written in the first few lines. Believe me guys, chapter fifteen is going to be…shocking. You wouldn't believe how I started this story. Actually, you'll think I'm nuts.

_Chapter Forty-three_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 9:45**

"And in return for what?" The council member asked skeptically, "you expect me to believe that you are willing to aid us in return for nothing?"

"Who said I'm not asking? No. I do want something." Sixkiller's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You Yeerks have played god over my people, what with your invasion. But I'm willing to put that aside," Sixkiller smiled, "I want something simple from you; I want Visser One."

Stirring.

Definite stirring.

"Why do you need our top general?" Another council member asked gruffly, "Our Vissers are valuable and we do not give them up easily."

Right.

And pigs can fly.

"Why Edriss?" The first council member questioned, "Why do you need her?"

"I have private scores to settle."

The council member seemed to buy that. "And when will you deliver the Blue Box?"

"As soon as you hand over the Visser." Sixkiller said, "but I'm not falling for a double faced deal. You send a fighter over to the given coordinates and I will send a fighter from my ship. Got that?"

"I will make my arrangements."

Sixkiller nodded. "Your good Visser, Visser Three will be handing you the Blue Box. If I smell a rat I'll blow both fighters and you'll lose _two_ valuable Vissers."

Council member nodded.

The screen went dead.

Are you nuts?! Zohare hissed, I thought you weren't going to give anyone advanced technology!

Sixkiller rolled her eyes, "They can't use to Blue Box on their people, they need someone who already has the morphing powers to touch the box and them. Such a person used to exist, but not now."

Used to?

"Visser Three. Alloran." Sixkiller shook her head, she sneered "where's your brain? Is that Andalite brain mucking up your clear thinking?"

Zohare looked unsure.

"Relax, I'm putting a bug in the box. It wouldn't work for them."

Then we'll have both Andalites and Yeerks after our heads. Zohare breathed.

"I'm not worried." Sixkiller said. Then she gave Zohare a sharp look. "Are you?"

Zohare managed to smile, No, I have already defied my people… defining them again in this timeline is no different.

Sixkiller gave Zohare a curt nod. "Get ready. I'm sending you out there."

Right.

*** *** ***

Half an hour later and Zohare was already off the ship, out of Z-space and heading towards the given coordinates.

Sixkiller was on the Blade Ship planning to do something that Zohare would have plainly objected to.

Ten hours were up for the Andalites.

She would do as she had promised them.

She will kill Cheian.

Show them she meant business. Sixkiller had a funny feeling that they were not taking her seriously.

Her heels clicked on the hard floor, she walked briskly towards the brightly lit cargo hold. Her vision was mildly distorted. But she knew what she was looking at, she knew what she wanted and where to find it.

Already, she could feel her power draining as she went into the bright room, her vision turned red as she walked towards the little Andalite girl. In her bloodied vision she saw her purple fur black. The other Andalites appeared to be drenched in blood.

She stopped in front of Cheina's cage.

Snickered at the trembling girl, the boy in the cage next to hers looked like he was going to faint.

Of course no one knew what she was up to. They shouldn't have. But Cheian must have blurted everything out.

The little squealer!

Sixkiller opened the cage and motioned for the girl to step in front of her. "To the bridge. Come on."

The girl tried to step past Sixkiller but accidentally treaded on her foot.

Sixkiller kicked the girl out of the cage, "Clumsy bitch!" She grabbed her by her wrist and dragged her out of the cargo hold.

But the girl resisted, struggled. She screamed widely. Kicked Sixkiller.

"Damn." Sixkiller cursed as she got back up to her feet, she felt woozy. "Where did she go?"

She looked at the caged prisoners for an answer.

She'd have to wait much longer.

"_Tom!_" Jake hissed. "NOW!"

Maybe Sixkiller was imagining things, maybe there wasn't really a wolf standing in front of her. But with her distorted vision of this world she thought the wolf was Zein.

Sixkiller leered at what she thought was Zein, swaying slightly; she crouched low to the ground, whistled. "Come here… doggy-doggy-doggy."

As a response to this Tom barreled towards her fangs flashing.

When he came close, Sixkiller flung out a hand. The backhand blow caught Tom spot on his nose.

YARRRROOOOW!

Arf!

Arf!

Zein came rushing into the cargo hold to investigate what the fuss was about.

"Oh, there you are you little bitch." Sixkiller mumbled, the lights glared down at her, "get the other dog will you?"

Sixkiller didn't wonder where the 'other dog' came from.

It was a bloody dogfight. Tom may have been larger but he was trying hard not to mortally wound the animal that was called on him.

Sixkiller spotted Cheian hiding behind some crates.

She shrieked when she caught Sixkiller advancing towards her. Tried to run away but Sixkiller had a firmer grip on her.

A firm painful grip of her stalk eyes. Sixkiller yanked her along. Once she was outside the cargo hold she sealed the entrance and tugged Cheian behind her.

Going out of the cargo hold was relief. It was like stepping out of a stifling hot room. The relative darkness of the corridors was like a cool breeze that stunned her fevered mind.

The bridge was dark as well. But then she pressed on the flashing button that signaled a message; the image of the two Andalites lit the dim bridge.

Sixkiller winced. It was like opening a TV in a dark room.

They observed the scene with weary eyes. Not quite getting what they were seeing.

"You're out of time…Andalites." Sixkiller breathed, she was toying with her pistol.

Suleman oblivious to the weapon (Andalites have never seen a human gun before) spoke arrogantly, human, we have reached a conclusion-

"Too late." Sixkiller cut him off with a bark of laughter. "You're too damn late."

But you must reconsider, Asculan said angrily, there is no way that we will remove our ships that guard the Yeerk home world. Are you out of your mind?! You-

"The Yeerks are receiving Andalite morphing technology." Sixkiller gave Asculan a dazed smile, she spoke frankly though, "And little Cheian…"

Sixkiller raised her pistol. Maybe it was the similarity between a Shredder and a gun. But it was probably the way Sixkiller held the gun that signaled that it was a weapon.

NO! Suleman shouted.

Sixkiller aimed.

Cheian let loose a blood-curling scream, Asculan looking fairly alarmed tried again, human you must not be serious, you-

Sixkiller cocked the pistol.

"Oh but I am."

More blustering from the other side. Both Andalites looked like they truly regretted what they said earlier. That would teach them a lesson.

"Time's up." Sixkiller whispered.

She removed the safety.

Cheian shirked and covered her face with her hands. She crouched low.

Human! NO! We'll-

BAM!

NOOOO!

THUD!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Oh no, this, this is _baaaaad._


	14. 'No more'

~morpherkidvb 

Actually, she alternates from being unbelievably 'psycho human' to a human with a little bit of heart. She's crazy I tell you! This chapter shows her being human with a little bit of heart, if you know what I mean…you'll find out later why she's like this. I'm not spoiling it. 

_Chapter Forty-four_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 10:58**

Sixkiller was slouching lazily in a seat that she dragged in the center of the bridge.

A pistol dangled from her fingers.

She was mumbling something to herself.

She didn't glance even once at the body that was sprawled over the floor. Blood drenched the ground all around it.

_It_, the only way to describe a body. _It _was bleeding. _It_ was sprawled over the ground. _It's_ fur was drenched in blood.

Cheian was long gone.

Cheian had died the instant Sixkiller made her a prisoner. Her body died when a bullet hit her skull. Dead center.

Too bad the Taxxons were all dead. Sixkiller was in no mood to clean up the mess.

Seconds ticked by and lapsed into long minutes..

The transmission button flashed. Signaling an up-coming message.

It had been flashing for half an hour already. And for half an hour, Sixkiller had been ignoring it.

Sixkiller's brain was a blank void. She was simply not thinking about anything. Hard not to think about anything. Not with a past like hers. Why think about the past? The future was all there is!

Everything was going as planned.

She has the Blade Ship.

She has the Andalite's attention.

The Yeerk's attention.

Perfect.

She had hostages.

She killed one of them.

Another was fruitcake.

The third a vecol.

Fourth a slave of his own mind.

And many more.

But wasn't she thinking about the past? By doing this? By dragging Visser one here?

Wasn't payback part of the past?

No. It's the first step in forgetting the past. Set yourself free of the past by making those who caused suffering to pay.

Sixkiller had suffered all her life. It was time others excluding her took the burden. Sixkiller was sick of being weak. Rejected. Unwanted.

She learnt to stand up to herself.

"I'm a big girl now…" she muttered drowsily.

To stand up for herself because no one else was going to help her. Not her parents. Not her brothers. Just her.

Sixkiller closed her eyes. Snapped them open when she heard hooves clipping on metal.

Turned around just in time to see Zohare shove Visser One in. Gagged and tied.

Zohare said, Why weren't you answering my call…?

He trailed off.

Stared at the bridge.

No.

No response.

She was just a kid.

"I know. I was just a kid once too you know; no one takes pity in us once we grow up. Sort of like the kitten that becomes a cat, puppies into dogs. People only want you when you're young and innocent, after that you're a nuisance, a pain in the neck."

I thought you were better than this.

"You thought wrong."

I'm calling it off. Zohare said angrily. You're not thinking with a clear head. he started walking towards her, Sixkiller you aren't well. I can see that. You could take a break. Have a rest-

"That's close enough." Sixkiller got up, "your time in Alloran is up. I need you in Hector, as a human."

Zoahre had his opinions about this but resisting would alarm Sixkiller, she was already a loose cannon. The situation would be impossible if she was a loose cannon and doubted him. He needed her to be able to trust him in a crisis. If things went really wrong. 

"Put the shackles back on." Sixkiller tossed the heap of metal that lay by her foot. She walked to Zohare.

It was too tempting. He could strike now and either end her life or knock her out.

But he didn't.

She sheathed his tail blade.

Locked the shackled.

"Come on." Sixkiller said to Zohare, she looked at the tied and gagged Visser, "stay here."

Sixkiller escorted Zohare to the room next to the cargo hold. Hector jumped up on seeing them.

"Please. No. Leave me alone."

I'm sorry Hector but I need you Zohare sighed, I wish it was up to me but…

"Nooo." Hector wailed, "I'm free!"

Hector. Zohare sounded tired.

"NO MORE!" Hector shouted, he tapped his head. "You. Are. GONE!"

HECTOR! Zohare roared.

Hector whimpered. Came close to Zohare. Reluctantly.

Zohare lifted his chained Andalite arms and held Hector's crying face; for a second stared at it and then pressed his ear against his.

Soon Hector's face no longer streamed with fresh tears of anguish. Instead, sad tears stained his checks anew, and they were not Hector's they belonged to Zohare.

Alloran stumble and collapsed to the floor, but Sixkiller grabbed his arm and yanked him to his hooves, "Not so fast blue man."

She reached in her pocket and retrieved Visser Three. Held him to Alloran's ear.

Caught Alloran's pleading expression.

Recalled Hector's crying face.

Regarded Zohare's silent tears.

Her past flashed before her eyes.

Her hand lowered to her side.

"No, no more."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

*sobs* wasn't that sweet?


	15. The sweetness of Revenge

~Morpherkidvb

There will be a face off, I'll manage to weave that in. Somehow.

_Chapter Forty-f_ive 

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 10:58**

"My father is…was a soldier. Not by will but by force. My mother was very upset. My brothers? They were disturbed. They were called on to war as well. The eldest was anyway. My mother knew that on that day, the day my father left our house in his army uniform…" Sixkiller's voice wavered, "she knew that we'd never see him again. And as always, my mother was right about these things."

Pause. Pace. Turn back again.

"I was a determined girl, the youngest child, the only girl. I wanted to see my father again, he was everything to me, even though he could barely support our family I respected him, loved him. He was always there for us. Always there to show us what good was in this evil world we live in, show us another way."

"My father hated war. He feared it too." Sixkiller sighed, "maybe my father was a coward, but what sane man wouldn't fear war? My country lived in poverty. Well, not my country, the people of my country lived in poverty. Our leader lived a gloriously noble life. On _our_ expense."

Sixkiller had dimmed the cargo hold. All the prisoners were there. Tom was discovered and thrown in with the Animorphs. Upgrade had reached a hundred percent and no one could morph. Alloran was in a separate cage. Elfangor in one, his little brother in a cage, Mertil in another and Asham too, was in a cage of his own.

Only Cheian's cage was empty.

She would never hear the explanation. It was only a few minutes ago that Sixkiller had burst in the cargo hold in a furious state. She yelled and shouted at the prisoners, dragged Visser one in and forced her on a chair in the plain view of all.

"Though life in my country was harsh and bitter, my parents found ways to take harshness out of it. But you know what? Even though my brothers felt secure I never did."

"How could I when food became harder and harder to get? When no one could go to hospitals because you'd get sicker in there? When we'd see the evidence of war all around us? Stupid. All of it stupid, our leader was a deranged psychotic, mad, insane. His people were starving and all he could think of was winning a pathetic piece of neighboring land. He'd invest our money in weapons. Build up his forces. We? The people? We were dieing."

Sixkiller paused. Considering, "I could have lived with that. I would have too. If only I wasn't there to witness what happened to my father." Sixkiller laughed. It was a bitter sad laugh.

"You caused me a lot of pain. A lot of anger. You don't know me, and back then, I didn't know you. But what I knew was this; whoever had caused me all this pain was going to pay. Very dearly."

Visser One just looked angry. Her host body was tied and gagged. Her opinion could not be heard.

"You're probably wondering what I want from you, why I called you. After all, you don't know me." Sixkiller paused, she looked at Visser One's human eyes. Reached out and yanked the gag out.

Visser One spat. Rubbed her mouth against her shoulder. "Who are you?"

"I am called Sixkiller. I'm your worst nightmare."

"What?" Visser One blustered, "I don't know you, I didn't do anything to you!"

"But you did." Sixkiller whispered. "You were the one who pushed my life down hill. You were the cause of all the pain. The start of my pain. And now you, you alone will end it."

"What?!" Visser One struggled.

"My father." Sixkiller sniffed and toyed with her pistol, "he died in battle. I was there. I saw it. There was a fight Off the border. We lived near the border. There was a camp. A base next to us. But the Americans." Sixkiller laughed, "my people were dropping like flies. There was no way they could have competed with the Americans and win. Stupid. _Stupid!_"

Sixkiller closed her eyes, and there, on her lips, the beginning of a bitter smile, once her eyes opened they were moist with tears, "at first, he was in the trenches. I could see from where I was. And then. And then…_you!_" It was a savage hiss. Rage and anger all fused into one word. Her contempt for the Visser was too visible. It made her twist and turn in anger and cause her fingers to twitch with barely controlled violence. Gunpowder ready to blow.

"I was just a girl then, a little six year old girl. My brother was with me, and nor did he, nor I understood what we were seeing. And what we saw…what we saw was a ship. A space ship. A fighter. A bug fighter." Sixkiller glared down at Visser One. Sixkiller didn't glance at the other prisoners, or at Zohare who had sat cross-legged against the crates. Did she know that Marco was the son of Visser One's host? She didn't show it.

"Two beings ran out of the fighter." Sixkiller whispered. "I thought they were demons. I thought they were monsters! They were not human, they didn't belong to Earth, yet they were there."

"They took my father." And at this, Visser One paled, remembering. "And then, they threw him out…and they…they shot him. Not a gun. Some sort of light. A beam of light."

Sixkiller's eyes closed, trying to get a grip on herself, but it was impossible. The pain. The anger. Her shoulders shook as she cried silently. Trapped. She was trapped by all her fears, her rage against those who had harmed her.

"My father _burned_ to death." Sixkiller whispered. "It was awful, I could hear his screaming, even twelve years since it happened, I still wake up hearing his screams ringing in my ears. Every day. The same nightmare over and over again. You, Visser One, you drove me insane. And you're the one who will end my insanity, you know how?"

The Animorphs were still. On edge.

The Andalites were still too. Frozen.

Zohare tensed.

"You will suffer the fait, my father suffered." Sixkiller whispered, "You'll burn to death, right here. Right now. And we'll watch every second of it."

Visser One twisted violently in the chair as Sixkiller tipped a can of something flammable on the floor. "MARCO! Do _something!_"

Marco watched frozen. Horrified.

"MARCO!" Visser One screamed, "She'll kill my host body! She'll kill Eva! She'll kill your mother too!"

Marco stepped away from the bars, looking confused and frightened. "I can't morph! I can't break out of here!"

"_Marcoo!_"

Sixkiller finished tipping the liquid. She grabbed the gag and stuck it in Visser One's mouth.

"Jake." Marco whispered franticly, unable to rip his eyes away from his mother, "Jake man, help, what do we do? What can I do?"

"Marco…" Jake looked at his friend helplessly. All the Animorphs were still. No one knew what to say.

"Sixkiller!" Marco yelled hysterically, "Spare the host! She's my mom!"

But Sixkiller was ignoring everybody. She grabbed the can and tipped the rest of its contents over the Visser's body. Every inch of the Visser was drenched in the foul smelling liquid.

"Sixkiller!" Zohare yelled, "Don't do it!"

Ignore everyone. Just ignore them. This was the moment she was waiting for. Don't listen to any of the Animorphs who were screaming their lungs out. Don't listen to Zohare; he didn't understand.

Sixkiller took a lighter out. With perfect malice she leaned over to the Visser, the flame was suddenly inches away from the Visser. Visser One's face dripped with sweat, her eyes looked around crazily. A few muffled cries could be heard above all the yelling of the prisoners.

It's because it's her fault.

Elfangor.

This and not anyone else's plea turned Sixkiller around.

"What did you just say?"

Elfnagor turned all four of his eyes on her, he had not spoken to anyone ever since he was brought here. It's your fault. Your guilt. You're blaming other people for it.

Zohare drifted behind Sixkiller and gestured wildly to Elfangor. _No_, he mouthed, _don't_.

The can dropped and clattered at the ground.

The lighter snapped shut. The flame died.

Sixkiller forgot about Visser One. Marco collapsed against the bars.

"You. Stay. _Out of this!_"

Killing people to justify your own crimes, how many people have you killed? Your hands are stained in blood, human. Just like Visser One. You aren't any better than her. You're worse.

"I was doing you a favor!" Sixkiller shouted. "Ever since I brought you here I left you _alone_. What more do you want?!"

Alone? Elfangor tried to laugh. But it came out as a twisted painful sound. His eyes flickered. You have altered time, captured me and tortured me for months, you did me no favors, you did _not_ leave me alone.

"You're alive!" Sixkiller screamed, "Visser Three did not kill you!"

That was how it should have ended, you changed all that.

"I changed it because I wanted to. Because I'm strong!" Sixkiller snarled.

No. You changed time because you were weak. Weak, helpless and alone. You were neither strong nor brave. You changed time because _you_ Sixkiller. Feared death.

That snapped Sixkiller's remaining tolerance for him, plucked at her very last nerve.

He thought she wasn't doing him any favors.

He thought Sixkiller was afraid of death. Hah-ha! _Sixkiller?_ Afraid of death? Unheard of.

"I don't fear death." Sixkiller snickered, "And don't ask me to prove that, it will be an extremely dumb thing to do."

No. I was mistaken, Elfangor said coldly, If there's one thing I learnt from being tortured by you, it's this; _you_ this beast that stands in front of me is not afraid of death. But Sedra? Deep down inside of you, beneath all your coldness she's there. Buried under all your pain and anger she's still alive. The little child who watched evil snatch her father away. Oh, she's there. And she's afraid. Which means _you_ are afraid as well. 

Sixkiller let loose a furious roar of rage, an animal scream. An animal like sound coming from a human, she whirled around and leapt towards Elfangor's cage, she stood very close to the bars. She hissed something low and sinister.

"When your life returns to being hell again, we'll see who's doing _who_ any favors! I'll rip your mind apart. I'll give you my word _Andalite_! I'll drive you insane!"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Does anyone else thing I'm -now how shall I put this…uh, ridiculous? That's how my story started. Anyone who read the Visser Chronicles will know that Visser One's first human host was a defeated Iraq soldier. You know, when Visser One first came to Earth she landed her Bug Fighter in the middle of the dessert at the time of the Gulf War? That's how she knew that the best place to start the invasion would be in America. 

I told you I'm nuts, I don't know how the story ended up becoming this but I had to have Sixkiller have a valid justification for all her evilness. She had always lived on 'the bad side'. So, she's the daughter of Visser One's first human host. She's a girl who grew up in war and reserved real contempt for fellow humans, when you get right down to the ugly truth, humans have always fought for power, i.e, a piece of land.

Okay, in the Visser Chronicles Edriss mentioned that the soldier had a progeny; two males and one female. The female is Sixkiller and the boys are still alive, there's a story about them too and it crops up later.

You see, there's always room for surprises.

( now you know how Elfangor is going to be back on the big screen huh? I'm telling you from now that the next part of the story centers on the Andalite home world and it's going to have plenty of the animorphs, I didn't have a lot on the animorphs on the first three parts. So it's going to be there. Hang in there and you'll see it coming.)


	16. Betrayal

That was just…wonderful, went straight through my heart. It gives 'reviews' a whole _new_ meaning to me. This story is as great as you make it out to be. A surprise what a few pleasant words would get a person to do, I wouldn't have made it so far without all of your support. So here it is; don't thank me for the story, thank yourselves for pushing me into writing it. Yup, lets all give ourselves a pat on the back. 

Okay, okay, enough already, chapter sixteen has landed; and oh, you know when Sixkiller said she was going to make Elfangor's life a living hell? Well, that's only going to happen _after_ this. 

You see. Sixkiller is busy. And in a few more chapters she's going to have her hands full.

(A note on this chapter, whatever is written in bold is like an extract from a previous chapter. I know you could figure it out. But I just wanted to make it obvious.)

_Chapter Forty-_six 

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 12:43**

"Do I look PRIMITIVE to you?"

"Answer me! What's wrong? Is the truth too painful to you or what?"

Sixkiller whirled around and glared at the screen, "WHAT, do you think?"

Under ordinary circumstances there would not have been an answer, but what was happening was serious. But even at that, Andalite arrogance did not stop.

We can sort this out, the voice said patiently, but the tense edge was still audible to Sixkiller's mind. Just leave him alone.

"_You_ do not tell me what I have to do!" Sixkiller shouted, mad fury was all too visible, "in this situation _you_ do what I tell you! _You_ listen to my requirements; _you_ shall –in this minute- give me a _real_ answer."

But we need time to organize-

Click-utch

Sixkiller cocked her gun and pressed the muzzle against Elfangor's head. "_Now_."

All right! Ascualan shouted angrily. All right. Just lower your weapon!

"No. No. _No_! Are you thick-in-the-head? I said, you do _not_ tell _me_ what to do. _I_ give the orders around here. _I_ decide what should be done. Will you at least understand this?! It's not that hard! And I thought you Andalites were a bright bunch!"

Asculan said with a struggling voice, I will give you an answer, but only after I am sure that you will not blow a hole through his head!

Don't listen to her! Elfangor shouted, She's didn't give the Yeerks-

Sixkiller slammed the butt of her pistol against Elfangor's head. He slumped to the ground. Unconscious. His temple lay open and blood gushed out of the wound.

"There." She hissed, "I'm not killing him."

What didn't you give the Yeerks? suspicion leaked out of his thought speak tone.

"Don't tempt me." Sixkiller snarled, shaking her gun, "_don't_ tempt me."

We are sending six dome ships to Earth. It is all we can spare. Other than that we cannot deal. Suleman.

"At last." Sixkiller spat, "Someone who thinks clearly. When do they arrive?"

They will arrive within a day's notice.

This turned the wheels around in Sixkiller's head. A fleet of six dome ships arriving within a day's notice? What happened to all the time they needed?

"A day?"

Yes. Suleman managed to look uncomfortable, They were already heading to Earth, we were trying to get you to reduce the number of dome ships.

Sixkiller said nothing to that.

The Dome ships –all of them- where heading to Earth? Or some in her direction?

Think.

Think.

Who could have told them of her direction?

Think.

Sixkiller stared at the two Andalite faces. They gave nothing away. Hard to read. No telling what was going on in their mind.

Soft laughter in her voice. Amused and not so amused by her mocking Suleman and Asculan.

** _I thought you're better than this. _**

An Andalite's face.

_ **I'm calling it off! You're not thinking with a clear head. Sixkiller you aren't well. I can see that. You could take a break. Have a rest. **_

_Andalite!_

** _"That's close enough. Your time in Alloran is up. I need you in Hector. As a human." _**

****_Zohare! _

Sixkiller felt her head spin. Red-hot fire cruised from her heart to her body. The world spun before her eyes and she almost lost her balance.

She shut the communications off without giving the Andalites any explanations.

The tips of her fingers were numb. Tingly.

Elfangor was climbing back up to his feet. His tail blade was sheathed and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Sixkiller felt a far off roar in her head. Like someone had exploded a hand grenade in her skull. She couldn't think. Couldn't see. Blind rage.

He _betrayed_ you. And _you_ fell for it. _You! _

** _Since when did I have friends? How long have they lasted? _**

Zohare asleep in the train. His stupid mutt sleeping underneath him.

She smiled at him. He smiled back and scratched Zeins ears. Denying her.

Who was Zein?

Was she really _just _a dog?

The confusion in the cargo hold. Only started after Zein came in. Sixkiller was angry at Zohare. Why? What was he doing?

Talking. Whispering to her prisoners.

Telling them? But telling them what?

Hector thrown with the prisoners. Was it really a mistake? Was Zohare _that _stupid?

No.

He was _that_ smart.

Suddenly she was very sure of it. Very sure.

She turned to the bridge. Shut off every single light in the Blade ship. Made sure that Zohare would have a hard time trying to break the codes. Then she cut the power.

The Blade Ship was a dead ship drifting in space.

Sixkiller was sure that everyone was aware that the power had been cut.

And Zohare would know that Sixkiller was going to go running after him.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Okay, we're almost there. So far you know that light intensity thwarts Sixkiller's functioning ability. And so does that dog. Zein. Okay, there is a reason why. And it's going to be there. It's a good reason too. Sort of like the way I put Sixkiller's history. I'm not making up her weaknesses. But you have to know this, remember when Hector told the Animorphs that Sixkiller was no ordinary human girl? Okay, it's because she's altered. Rachel's going to be involved in this as well. It's a little bit confusing now, since all you see is what's on the surface, but the next chapter shows Sixkiller underneath her human cover.

Yup, what the girl looks like underneath the skin.

Ewww. Did I say that?


	17. Fatal error

Since no one has any questions for me, I'll skip the intro and give you the chapter. 

_Chapter Fort_y_-__seven_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 13:13**

The ship lurched sending Zohare off his feet and crashing into the side of the cage.

The lights went off.

The distant hum of the engines evaporated.

Zohare struggled to his feet, trying to open the Animorphs' cage. Trying to free Jake, Tom, Marco, Rachel Cassie and Tobias. Then open the separate cages.

Made sense. That way he could get the Animorphs to help him open the other cages.

But it wasn't working. His hands shook crazily. He knew where the lock was, he could feel it with his hands, but the key would keep sliding off. Over and over again.

"_Come on!_" Rachel hissed.

Zohare breathed heavily, the premonition of a stalking Sixkiller was too clear in his brain. Every time he focused on the lock he found himself glancing at the dark emptiness behind him expecting a shadow to rise and swallow him up.

"I…I can't…" Zohare sobbed, "I can't do it. She'll be mad."

"_Zohare!_" A far off roar. Sixkiller's shout of anger. Calling him.

And now, not even Zein could help him. Not when darkness falls.

The key slipped and dropped from his grasp. It fell inches away from the bars. Zohare scrambled down to grab it.

An animal like scream; high and blood curling.

Zohare stopped scrambling. Froze. He felt hot breath on his exposed neck. In the darkness he could barely see Rachel's blue eyes behind the bars. All he saw was a faint glint.

WHUMPH!

He was thrown high in the air. Far from the cages and landed with a loud thud.

"Hoorrrraaaaww!"

Zohare spun on the ground, rose to defend himself from…from whatever it was that attacked him.

"ARRGGGHHHHH!" Visser One screamed suddenly. "AHHHH! AHHHH! AHHHH!"

"MUM!"

Another animal like scream followed by a series of rapid clicks.

Zohare fumbled with his torch. _Come on, come on!_

He could feel a presence above him, he didn't look up. He didn't want to see the two glaring red eyes.

Click!

Light illuminated the cargo hold.

"HHHAAAAARRRRRROWWWWWWW!"

Awful screaming.

But the creature that had risen up to attack him sidled backwards. Arms raised over eyes to protect itself from the harshness of the light.

"What the…?" Jake stated, alarmed.

"Jeez!" Marco took a few steps back, away from the edges of the cage.

"Ohmygod!" Cassie breathed.

Tobias flapped his wings nervously.

The creature they were looking at did not resemble a human. Or anything found on Earth or otherwise. Even the Andalites were surprised. Even Alloran who possessed a bag full of DNA monsters in his blood.

But of all of them, Rachel was the one that realized something. Something familiar about the shape. "No." She whispered. "It's him…"

The creature stood on two long legs. The knee joints bent backwards, like those on elbows. The 'feet' were large thin talons a cross between Hork-Bajir feet and a bird of prey's talons. Above the four claws of its talons was another claw that bent backwards, positioned just above the 'heel', a sort of thumb, powerful and strong.

The body was lean and smooth. Linear. With powerful wings that rose far above her/his/its shoulders. The head could have been mistaken for a bird's only there was no beak. Instead, there was a dark muzzle armed with steel like teeth. The ears resembled those of a rabbit, only they were drawn back at an angle, like goat horns.

The eyes were red. A red that shown and crackled like fire. Sometimes flickers of yellow, blue and purple would flit across its eyes. When Zohare's light shown on them, the thin slanted pupils filled up the entire eye turning it black.

The creature screamed again and turned its upper body away. Its spine was lined with sharp blades that flexed with the contracting muscles of its back. The blades became thicker and stronger as they reached the back of its head and neck.

'It' was what Sixkiller had become.

Or to be exact; what she was beneath her human cover.

"Wha…Wha…" Visser One was shaking, barely able to speak. The feathered demon approached her.

And walked right past her. Towards the entrance of the cargo hold and…sealed it. Locked the door.

Its arms were almost human, just a bit longer to match proportionally with the long legs. But instead of skin there was scales. Most of the body was covered in dark black scales except for the wings, head, and at the joints were long black feathers drifted The hand was defiantly inhuman, even though it had five digits. The five digits were armed with long dagger like claws that retracted as the creature punched a code into little computer interface beside the door of the cargo hold.

The creature pounced on Zohare, the wings opened suddenly and they flapped madly as it tore at his flesh. It was not planning on flying but the wings made it appear larger and fiercer.

Zohare screamed and screamed and screamed. Until suddenly. There was no more screaming.

The creature jumped off Zohare and faced the panic stricken faces of the caged prisoners, suddenly, no one was interested in talking or provoking it.

"You now what he just did?" The low husky voice. Unmistakably it was Sixkiller's, only it was slightly distorted.

No answer.

"The Andalite's are sending a Dome Ship over here. And you know what they're going to find when they board this ship?"

Again, no response.

"Dead Yeerks. And you know what more? You know what they'll find if they come into the cargo hold?"

No one said anything.

"Dead Andalites. Dead humans too."

There was silence. Cold and stinging. They were at her mercy. No one could morph. All the Andalites were chained and tail blades were sheathed. The youngest of the Andalites began to whimper pitifully.

"And." The voice went on in a whispered, "I'll start with _you_."

All eyes turned on who she was pointing at.

She was pointing at…Elfangor's cage. 

But Elfnagor's cage was empty.

Where was Elfangor exactly?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I said it wasn't going to be pretty. 

And i said Sixkiller's going to get her hands full, do you _know_ where Elfangor is? Okay, you do, but heck. One stupid mistake isn't it? Elfangor's arms may be chained, but he could still use them...right?


	18. The Contact

Okay, here's what I'm going to do, I'll just answer all your questions generally.

SXK did not morph, she did not have a mental breakdown or genetically mutate. You'll find out why she's in the form she is and _what_ she had became –not now- later.

Okay, now, nothing about that came in the books (Shimmering Sand- you're right) but, what's going on here is that Rachel recognized something about Sixkiller.

You'll find out what –not now- later.

Tehehe.

It's killing you as much as it's killing me, isn't it?

_Chapter Fort_y_-__eight_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 13:43**

Elfangor touched his head gently, his hand came away bloody. He looked around the bridge, trying to get his bearings right. He remembered Sixkiller hitting him hard with her gun and then…

Then he woke up. She terminated the communication and stood quietly. He saw a slow scowl cross her face. Then the scowl turned into something serious and real.

Then, she shut off the power, screamed furiously. Leaving Elfangor in darkness.

Light. He needed light to see.

Where is it? He mumbled, feeling his way around in the dark, Has to be here somewhere…

His hand hit the switch, the emergency lights came on, but these were dim and barely penetrated the darkness.

But it will have to do.

His chained hands felt their way around the controls. He resumed the previous communication channel. Waited to get connected.

A hard annoyed face came into view. It saw Elfangor and searched for the other face. The human face.

It was not there.

Suddenly, Elfangor's slow and clouded brain picked up furious activity on the other side, people were talking to him.

What was he going to do? Why did he call the Andalites…? What where they telling him?

I…she left. He managed to say but he couldn't believe that it was him who was speaking, it was like he was standing outside his own body watching himself speak. Wha…what do you need to launch an attack?

The coordinates! The voice said, Elfangor's vision was blurry, We need the new coordinates, our fighters are already launching and heading your way, we'd stop wasting time if we had the exact location!

The location… Elfangor felt his head swimming madly.

Prince Elfangor, we need the coordinates!

Wha…? Where was that?

On the piloting panel, another voice said desperately. Read out the numbers.

Elfangor blinked. Yes, he could see the numbers; he read them out then repeated them.

They asked him to read them again.

He did.

Elfangor pulled his head back. Confused and disoriented he felt his knees grow weaker; he almost collapsed but managed to hold on. He had important stuff to deal with. Couldn't let anything screw him up.

She…the Yeerks. She didn't give them morphing technology. Elfangor mumbled, she was bluffing, I tried to tell you…

Is the morphing cube with you? Aboard the ship?

No, it was a bluff- Elfangor tried to clear his vision by staring at his hand, he looked up to the screen and still the face was nothing but a blue blur. Visser Three had been on the ship from the start. And now…now I believe she has Visser One as well.

Say again?

Visser One and Three are aboard this ship. They are not in control. They are hostages too. Prisoners. I… Elfangor stumbled.

What does she need from them? The voice asked. Where are they now?

Elfangor's head felt as if it had a crazy insect buzzing inside, he couldn't think clearly, yet somehow, he managed to get something coherent and understandable out to the Andalite in front of him. Visser Three…..she needed him…his body, to trick you and-Elfangor raised a hand to his head, felt his temple-and the Yeerks. She tricked them. In return for…blue box, she wanted Visser One.

Does Visser One know something about the Time Matrix? We have been told that the human has it in her possession.

No. I don't think so. Sixkiller has the Time Matrix but it's not here. Not on the ship.

There was silence then. With nothing to say the Andalite just stared at him. Elfangor managed to stay upright. His hand trembled at it came again to his head, not to check to see if his head was still bleeding but more a nervous gesture.

You did well. The voice on the other side said, but tell me this, what means did the human use to restrain you and the prisoners?

He asked it gently, as if he was insulting his pride, how a human, a young human –barely an adult- managed to capture him.

She…she put us in cages. He mumbled.

Where you not capable of morphing out?

Elfangor's head jerked, no. No. No one could morph on the ship.

_What?_

I don't know why, and I don't know how…but Sixkiller…and. And the other human, they have advanced technology…far beyond Andalite technology…

The Andalite looked alarmed. Both at the possibility that an 'inferior' creature has technology that was superior to Andliate technology and alarmed that Elfangor was barely able to keep himself conscious.

No! The officer said sharply, stay with us!

You…you have to secure her first. Elfangor whispered, You cannot do anything without knocking her out of the fight.

Yes, but-

She's not normal. he continued, it was becoming harder and harder to keep awake, she has powers…strange powers…she killed the entire crew…single handed.

How do we succeed then? The voice asked, but Elfangor was not listening to him, he felt his mind drift away.

_Prince Elfangor!_ The voice demanded in a very sharp tone, What do we do? What is her weakness?

The light…Elfangor whispered before darkness overwhelmed him, she fears the light…

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	19. If I can't get win, then neither will yo...

_Chapter Fort_y_-nine_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 15:03**

Seconds ticked by.

More than an hour had passed since Sixkiller said anything. She stood where she last stood. Staring at Elfangor's empty cage.

Where was he?

The questioned stumped her. She had no idea. Couldn't figure out how he escaped. He was chained and confined to a cage, no one else had escaped, so where was he?

The seconds turned into more minutes. And the wall in Sixkiller's brain was higher than ever, she couldn't remember when was the last time she saw him. She remembered being very angry at him, yelling at him. In the cargo hold…

And then what?

Back up. What was she doing _before_ she yelled at him? What did he do to provoke her?

Sixkiller flapped her oversized wings. Frustration boiled down on her. What was she doing? It wasn't that long ago!

Whimpering. Sixkiller pinpointed the sound. It came from the young Andalite. The boy.

She ignored him.

Her nose picked up a sharp sent as it turned away from Asham's direction. The fuel! She spilled fuel! But…

Why?

Where was it anyway?

Sixkiller turned her head around. "Arghhh!"

The stupid torch was still on! Her brain received another sharp burst of pain. She looked away from the source, the reflected light was a lot less harsher. And…

Reflection?

Yes, on the ground…beside Visser One! Ah-HAH! That was it! She was going to waste the Visser! For hurting her, for killing her father! For making him the first human to ever suffer underneath Yeerk hands! Revenge!

The notion of revenge was so sweet to her bitter mind. She slinked towards the Visser.

"No. Um. I'm sorry. I. I. I-"

BOOOOOOOM!

Every living creature aboard the ship was jerked off their feet. Something had collided into the dead ship. The ship groaned loudly.

Wha…?

Who was that? What was happening?

Sixkiller roared in sudden rage as it clicked in her brain. The pieces of the jigsaw jerked into place and she saw the clear picture.

_Elfanogr was on the bridge! She left him there!_

How could she have forgotten him? How could she have made such a large error?

At first her brain jammed. No clear definite thought hit her mind. What to do? _What to do?_

It couldn't have been for nothing.

Couldn't!

One of the humans was talking to her. She wasn't listening. Her brain reeled as she hastily tried to come up with a backup plan.

"This isn't how it was suppose to work!" Sixkiller screamed angrily, she spun around and leapt towards Zohare's lifeless body.

"I trusted you! You were my friend!" Her eyes gleamed in the dark, her voice lowered down to a whisper as she continued, "but no…there are no friends in this world…just enemies. Many, many enemies."

Her eyes wondered towards the cages. "You'll never really understand what this is all about. You cannot understand why I had you go through all of this, and now, I'm afraid all my efforts were useless."

Again, one of the humans spoke. Sixkiller ignored him.

"_Useless!_ " Sixkiller shouted in sudden rage, a powerful arm lashed out and knocked the bond Visser to the floor.

Marco flinched.

"Listen, it's over, whatever happened to you, it was in the past right?" Cassie asked, "I mean, there's still time to change, you could walk away."

Jake and Marco nodded in silence. They didn't care what happened to the girl, all they carried about was that she left the holding room without inflicting anymore damage.

The girl stood in silence, her large wings quivered in the dark, her red eyes glowed.

I hear hooves. Tobias whispered in semi-private thought speak, Jake, they're not far away, the Andalites have docked.

Sixkiller had keen hearing; she was able to hear the approaching danger. But what was there to do? Sixkiller didn't plan to run away. She was sick and tired of running away, hiding and spending years drawing out a strategic counter attack.

Slowly, she walked towards the dropped can of flammable fuel. She picked it up, there was still some fuel in it. Sixkiller continued walking, in circles, around all the cages, with the can tipped at the side so that the liquid would spill.

She heard the objections; it came from all of them, human and alien. Young and old. There were some angered shouts, enraged threats, disparate cries for help and even whimpers of fear.

Sixkiller dropped the finally emptied can from her hand. She picked up a dracon beam, perched at the center of the cargi hold atop a dozen crates. She viewed the room and the creatures that were encaged.

To Sixkiller's mind; the cargo hold, in the best of scenarios, would become a living inferno for all that stepped in it. Yes, if she couldn't reach her goal then she'd be damned to see if anyone else did.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	20. Lost strands of hope

_Chapter Fifty_

**Time elapsed since boarding;: 15:33**

Elfangor stood on the bridge. Darkness surrounded him. His only source of light was the dim emergency lights and the real-time window he managed to open. And from that window he saw normal space.

Space! Billions and billions of stars! Systems and galaxies all lost in the pinpoints of light.

One of these pinpoints of light represented his home star. _His_ home. How he wished to be there. So far away from all the irrationalities of war. Away from everything burning with the greedy need to survive. Away from all the thousands of people who suffered dumb the harshness of war.

One of those 'people' was a girl. A human girl corrupted, twisted and destroyed by war. Once nothing more than a mere child. A youngster. Now that she has grown she was something far dangerous. No longer innocent of her crimes but guilty in every way.

Was that her suffering? A murderer's guilt? Was this the weigh she carried? Or was it the knowledge that she has lost something far more valuable, something like the innocence of childhood. Did she ever have a chance to experience it?

Darkness covered her soul. In a way that terrified Elfangor. She was not Visser Three. She was not a senseless killer. She planned. Calculated and succeeded.

How many has she killed? Did she even care?

Elfangor had known humans and lived with them for three years. He considered them as his adopted people. But what he saw of this child has changed him forever. And he started getting a clearer picture, a vivid image of the ugly future that could emerge with the influence of her kind.

Not all humans are evil. But this is the first human he had come across that would lower herself to such savagery.

Elfangor no longer knew where he stood in all this. He did not know what his duty was. What he should do –or what he could do- to stop her. Even his feelings for her were confused. He used to hate her. Now all he felt was sympathy. Elfangor pitied his torturer.

He still hated her of course. His anger and resentment towards the veil creature could be easily felt if provoked. But Elfangor was defeated. So bitterly crushed. His spirit was broken and only time could heal him.

Elfangor knew this. But did his brother?

Elfangor feared that Aximili would not understand why he has quitted to silence in the cargo hold. It may have been Elfangor's weakest act still -to retreat in a time where he was needed- but Elfangor felt humiliated; he could not face his brother with the truth. Couldn't trust himself to speak to his own brother.

Elfangor heard a far-off boom and was thrown to his side. Dazed he stumbled to his hooves just in time to hear another blast, this time, coming from inside the ship.

A bug fighter zoomed past the bridge and he swore he'd seen the cursed creature behind the cockpit window. Two Andalite fighters were hot in pursuit. Behind them a Dome Ship hung over the rest of the Blade Ship. Magnificent as it was its sight did not fill Elfangor with renewed strength.

Elfangor's eyes caught a glint of metal shooting past the bridge and then…brilliant light lanced towards the bridge.

Towards Elfangor.

His brain sluggishly analyzed the data. And when he realized what was about to happen -it was too late.

BOOOOOOM!

The bridge was ripped off the ship. Elfangor was sucked into space. Miserably cold. The sudden change in temperature shocked his Andalite body. 

Elfangir's dim vision caught emergency hatches closing to protect the rest of the ship. But Elfangor was blown too far away from the ship. There was no oxygen. It was bitterly cold.

His hearts beat sluggishly as his brain grinded to a halt. Blood practically froze in his veins. The pain was awful.

But Elfangor's pain was fading. And so was he.

Elfangor was dying.

One of the fighters split formation and headed towards the dying Prince.

As miserable as he was, Elfangor prayed that he wasn't as far away as he thought he was.

Elfangor prayed with all his hearts that there was still enough hope. Hope that may bring him, once again, to the cause of his misery, hope that he could once again return to Sixkiller.

Not to kill her.

To show her what was right.

Some good may come out of all that evil. Elfangor knew deep inside that it was possible.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

*Sobs* I just had to do it, I really am called Cliff Hanger, did you know that? (Clifford Han actually) as you realize the story could be, uh, expanded but I've already written uh, fifty chapters and that's thanks to all of you! I really couldn't have done all this without all your support; I've just added up that I've gotten 235 reviews for the entire '**Sixkiller Series'** –that's not counting chapter fifty. 

I couldn't believe I finally finished up the story without wrecking the plot, it's great…

Oh yeah, you know when I said I'm called Clifford Han, I was only kidding, no parent would give a girl that sort of name…

Oh yeah, in case no one caught on I'm working on a new fic; '**The Third Brother**' but I'm sure you all noticed it. For all of you who are reading it I'm telling you that I'll be uploading slower because I've got my finals to take care of, you know, it's my last year in school so I've got to take the exams seriously…


End file.
